Sliding Doors
by Sir Cameron Dragic
Summary: AU. With parallel universes, change is always possible, and that is the case for Princess Lelouch vi Britannia, formerly Lelouch Lamperouge. The battlefield isn't the only place where battles are fought, and not all is right with the Royal Family, even in a world where Marianne is still alive and Lelouch is still a Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"According to the parallel universe theory, during the big bang, numerous bubbles of the false vacuum that had previously made up the universe began to appear. Inside each of these bubbles, there is a parallel universe that should abide to the same laws of physics and have the same properties. However, since no one has actually accessed a parallel universe, there is no telling what could exist inside. Therefore, there could be endless variations on the world we live in." Lelouch read aloud to Nunally and Euphemia, who were enraptured by the idea.

Although science wasn't her favorite topic, there were some interesting aspects to it. After all, science was what created the Knightmare Frames, and the Knightmare Frames had created the Holy Britannian Empire. She knew that there was some benefit to having an understanding of science.

"Euphie, do you believe that there are parallel universes?" Nunally asked her older sister.

Euphemia thought for a moment before she decided to respond, "Hm, well, I think that it is possible, but I'm perfectly happy with the world we live in."

Lelouch smiled. Leave it to Euphie to try and avoid conflict, even in a hypothetical situation.

"How about you Lelouch?"

Before Lelouch could respond, Cornelia snorted as she entered the dressing room that the Imperial sisters had been happily chatting in. Among them were Corneila herself at 28, Lelouch, who was currently celebrating her eighteenth birthday, Euphemia, who was 17, and Nunally, who was 15. The four had been almost inseparable since birth, especially Nunally and Lelouch, who were siblings.

"I think that is a stupid idea. Besides, if we don't have any proof that any of this stuff exists, why should we care?"

"But, Cornelia, aren't you curious about what you would be like in another life?" Euphemia asked.

"I'm sure that she would be the same battle crazy sister you know and love." Lelouch interrupted.

"Oh yeah? Well, no matter what world you were in, you would be the same annoying little sister." Cornelia sneered in response.

"Miss, we don't have time for arguing. You are expected in the dance hall right now. Besides, should you really be arguing with the Princess on her birthday?" Gilbert Guilford, Cornelia's faithful knight chided.

"Right. Well then Lelouch, we'll finish this later." Cornelia said with a huff before turning on her heel and exiting the dressing room, quickly followed by Guilford.

As she left, she suppressed a sigh. Although they had been extremely close when they were younger, Cornelia found herself drifting away from her sisters, mostly due to the fact that she was constantly on military campaigns.

Out of all of her sisters, Lelouch was the one who took her decision to go into the military the hardest. She had felt like Cornelia had abandoned the rest of them in a pursuit of glory. Cornelia had told her time and time again that was not the case, but Lelouch still refused to accept Cornelia the way she used to.

"Maybe one day you'll understand." Cornelia whispered under her breath as the door closed behind her.

Lelouch sighed, "Well then, I guess we should head out to the dance hall as well. They're probably waiting for us as well."

Nunally and Euphemia nodded in response, quickly glancing in the mirror to check their outfits. Euphemia was wearing a pink gown, while Nunally wore a blood red dress that had been picked out by their mother. As beautiful as the two looked, they were both in agreement that they paled in comparison to their older sister, who gave them a small wave before exiting.

* * *

"May I present, the Third Princess and Seventeenth in line to the throne, Princess Lelouch vi Britannia!"

Lelouch walked out from the dressing room, drawing stares from most of the males that were gathered in the hall. She was dressed in a simple strapless black dress, a clear contrast some of the more elegant gowns that most of the guests were wearing. She had not opted to secure her knee length hair, instead letting it run down her back like a waterfall of ebony, although, courtesy of Nunally and Euphemia, she also had two small purple ribbons tied up in her hair, leaving her ebony bangs in place to perfectly frame her porcelain skin.

She slowly descended the ornate staircase of Schneizel's residence, soaking in the applause that came from the attendants of his party. She knew exactly how to the play the part of a spoiled princess after years of practice. She had learned long ago that playing up to the public's expectation of what a princess should be usually led to more approval from the Britannian public. And if she wanted to succeed, she needed the support of the public.

"Ah, Princess Lelouch, what an honor to see you!" A noble cried out as she approached a group of men conversing with her older brother Schneizel. The blond prince was dressed in a fancy white suit with gold trim, showcasing his extreme wealth and his position as the Second Prince of Britannia.

As she approached, she also saw her brother's favorite assistant, Kanon Maldini. He was, as usual, standing next to Schneizel and politely listening to the conversation. The Earl always seemed to be by Schneizel's side, and if she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was her brother's lover from the way they acted around each other.

"Good afternoon Schnieizel." Lelouch greeted, ignoring the noble. She did not particularly care for the aristocrats that frequented her brother's parties. They were all so fake and all they wanted was to curry favor with either her or her brother. Honestly, she couldn't understand why he kept them around all the time.

"Same to you Lelouch. Happy birthday." Schneizel replied, subtly looking over his sister. She had really grown into a beautiful woman over the eighteen years he had known her, not to mention, she seemed to combine the best qualities of her sisters. She had the killer looks of Guinevere, the innocence of Euphemia and Nunally, and yet, a aura of darkness surrounded her. She was easily more cunning and ruthless than Cornelia, and yet, there was no one who cared more about Nunally or Euphemia. She was a walking paradox, if there was ever one.

He could distinctly remember the first time that he had really stopped for a moment and looked at her.

* * *

Marianne had taken Euphemia and Nunally off to their etiquette lesson, leaving Schneizel alone with Lelouch for the first time. Although they did interact a lot, seeing as they were siblings, they never really had a chance to be alone like they were right now, sitting on the edge of Lelouch's bed. For a girl, she had a relatively unadorned room.

The only things she kept in her room were her large canopy bed, a large wooden desk in the corner with a chessboard on top and a small television. It definitely was nothing like Guinevere's room, which was filled with, at least in Schneizel's opinion, useless junk. In contrast, Lelouch lived in a rather ascetic room, although that probably fit her personality more. Lelouch was much more practical and utilitarian than Guinevere, and it showed in the way that she had decorated her room.

"So Schneizel, do you want to play some chess?" Lelouch asked. She was always eager to challenge him because he was the only person left who could actually beat her on a regular basis.

"Not today, I don't really feel like it." Schneizel responded, shaking his head.

"Oh, ok." Lelouch said, playing with a loose strand of hair. She did not have her hair in a ponytail like she usually did, instead letting it flow down her shoulders in waves of ebony.

In that moment, Schneizel couldn't help but think that his sister looked adorable with her small yellow dress that Marianne had forced her into earlier and a small violet flower in her hair, although he quickly tried to push that idea out of his head. After all, she was only eight, and he was already eighteen! There was no way that he could be attracted to his younger sister!

"Is something wrong?" Lelouch asked innocently in her soft voice, watching the internal battle unfolding in Schneizel's mind. Schneizel quickly opted to turn his head away so that she couldn't see the pink that had dusted his cheeks as he desperately tried to think of anything but his sister.

"Seriously Schneizel, you're acting a little weird." Lelouch said with a hint of concern, scooting up next to him to place a hand on his forehead. Her touch caused him to jump back a bit, which, in turn led to Lelouch crawling towards him as he backed up away from her. Every time she made a move towards him, he stumbled back a little more, until the back of his head bumped into the headboard of her bed. Checkmate.

"I'm feeling perfectly fine." Schneizel stammered, inwardly disappointed with himself. After all, he could completely dominate political meetings, but he was being unnerved by an eight year old at the moment. If the emperor could see him right now, he definitely would become the laughingstock of the entire Royal Family.

"Hm." Lelouch said, coming a little too close for comfort. Her face was inches away now as she placed her cool hand upon his forehead once again.

"It doesn't seem like you have a fever." She observed, not realizing the effect she had on Scheneizel as she was effectively straddling him. He was squirming under her, trying to control his hormones as he enjoyed the vanilla scent from her hair.

"Schneizel, stop moving." She ordered, causing him to cease his struggling. For a moment they just looked at each other before Schneizel decided to take a chance.

* * *

"Enjoying the view?" Lelouch teased, causing Schneizel to snap out of his thoughts.

Since that incident in the Aries Villa, she knew perfectly well that Schneizel was attracted to her and never failed to remind him of that fact. It was one of the only advantages she had over him and she was going to exploit it for all that it was worth.

"Um, well, Lelouch, I would like you to meet Lord Stadtfeld." Schneizel quickly changed the subject, introducing Lelouch to one of the nobles he had been talking with earlier. She knew exactly what she possessed and how to use it. If she did have aspirations to become Empress, Schneizel had no doubt that she could succeed. Of course, if she could beat him that is. For all of her cunning and skills, she still had never been able to beat him in chess, although she was easily the best opponent he had ever played.

But if she decided to become **his** Empress, well, that would be an entirely different story.

"It's an honor to meet you. Please, let me introduce you to my daughter, Kallen." The man said, gesturing to a red haired girl standing next to him.

"Well, the pleasure is mine." Lelouch said, extending her hand to the girl, who looked at it for a second before coldly shaking it. Kallen could just tell from the moment that she saw the princess that the girl was nothing but a puppet of the Empire she so despised. All she wanted to do was to call out the raven haired girl on the atrocities that Britannia was committing in Japan, but she held her tongue. However, the animosity that she had been projecting was not lost on Lelouch, who politely excused herself.

"Lelouch, you look beautiful tonight." Marianne complimented as she saw her daughter wander the dance floor.

"Thank you Mother." Lelouch replied, stopping in front of the Empress of Britannia.

"Oh, Lelouch, before I forget, I would like you to meet Lord Ashford." Marainne said, introducing an old man that Lelouch immediately recognized. Ruben Ashford was fairly famous for having produced the first Knightmare Frame, the Ganymede. His work had effectively started a revolution in warfare. Although Lelouch did not like meeting most nobles, this man was different. Not only was he incredibly important to the formation of the Britannian Empire, but he seemed to be good friends with her mother.

"Nice to meet you, Princess. Say, Marianne, she's quite the looker now, isn't she?" Ruben asked, checking out Lelouch, only to receive a smack on the head from Marianne.

"She is my daughter, so please don't cross that line, Ruben." Marianne said with an irritated tone.

"Er, right. Anyways, I would like you to meet my granddaughter, Milly."

"Hi! Milly Ashford, at your service!" A peppy blond said, greeting her much more warmly than the Stadtfeld girl had.

"Princess Lelouch vi Britannia." Lelouch replied, unnerved by the enthusiasm that Milly was exhibiting. Usually, the girls that were introduced to her were too nervous to even introduce themselves, but Milly seemed to be the exact opposite. The girl was already chatting up a storm when a noble accosted Lelouch and quickly ushered her away.

"Marianne, she's your splitting image." A green haired woman observed, approaching the Empress from behind.

"C.C., don't even think about making a contract with her." Marianne growled fiercely, causing C.C. to smile in response.

"Well, if you fulfill your end of the bargain, then we won't have a problem."

* * *

"Get your hands off of me!" Lelouch snapped at the man, who quickly disappeared into a throng of people, leaving Lelouch alone in front of her oldest brother, Odysseus eu Britannia.

"Lelouch, would you care to dance?" Odysseus asked nervously, running a hand through his brown locks, blue eyes darting around, refusing to meet Lelouch's violet ones. Although he was the First Prince of Britannia, Lelouch couldn't help but feel that he would be a mediocre emperor at best.

He was indecisive and far too kind for his own good. Schneizel was much more suited to the throne, but that didn't mean that she didn't like the man. The qualities that made Odysseus a poor choice to lead made him a better brother than Schneizel would ever be, and likely, a better husband, although Lelouch never really had any intention of marrying him growing up. Not that he wasn't attractive, which he was, but he was a little too weak for her liking.

However, if that was the only way she could end up leading the Empire, then she would not hesitate to do it. It wouldn't be hard at all. She would only have to bat her eyelashes a few times and show a little skin before Odysseus would be putty in her hands. Guinevere may just barely edge her in the looks department, but Lelouch could act much more mild mannered than her sister ever could, and that was definitely attractive to Odysseus, who hated conflict.

"Of course." Lelouch said sweetly, taking her older brother's hand as Odysseus began leading her through the waltz.

"Happy birthday." Odysseus said, gracefully weaving them in and out of the crowd. All of the royal children had been educated in the social graces, and Odysseus had picked them up better than most of the others. Lelouch had not paid much attention during the lessons, but she was still a better dancer than most nobles.

"Thank you." Lelouch responded as they kept perfectly in time with the soft music being played by the band.

"So, how have the talks with the Chinese Federation gone?" Lelouch asked, although she already knew the answer. Schneizel had overwhelmed the Chinese Federation with his threats, and it was clear that the Chinese Federation was close to giving in.

"Rather well. I believe that we can come to an agreement without war erupting." Odysseus replied, happy that someone took an interest in his affairs. Usually, no one paid any attention to him, not that he gave them any reason to. He didn't really enjoy being the center of attention. Still, it was nice to have someone who took an interest in him like Lelouch did.

She seemed to be the only one who actually cared about his feelings. It wasn't as if he didn't feel like his siblings didn't care about him. No, that was not even close to the truth. He thought that Schneizel did genuinely care about him and always seemed to have his back, but Schneizel never really tried to get to know him like Lelouch did.

It always just seemed like they had a genuine connection when they were together, although he didn't really know why she had taken an interest in him in the first place. Their personalities were nothing alike. For all of her acting ability, Odysseus knew that Lelouch was not the perfect daughter she made herself out to be. She was devious, cunning, and everything that he was not. But despite that, she always seemed to let her hugs last a second too long and her touch always seemed to linger for a little longer than necessary. Maybe he hadn't imagined the hints she seemed to drop whenever he was nearby. Maybe she did genuinely like him as more than a brother.

"However, it seems that Schneizel thinks that a marriage with the Chinese Empress would be the best way to avoid conflict." Odysseus continued, blatantly staring at Lelouch. She always looked absolutely breathtaking in black, and tonight was no exception.

Lelouch couldn't help the look of shock that came over her face. She had never imagined that Schneizel had really been willing to use his brother as a bargaining chip, although considering how weak Odysseus was, it didn't really shock her after all. Still, Odysseus had seemed like an easier path to the throne, and now it seemed like he was no longer an option. Despite this, she still enjoyed his company sometimes and just because he didn't give her direct access to the throne anymore didn't mean that he couldn't be of use to her. Besides, nothing was official yet. She had seen the Chinese Empress before, and, unless Odysseus was some sort of lolicon, she couldn't imagine losing out to Tianzi. She barely looked like she should be in elementary school, let alone marrying the First Prince of Britannia. No, her plans weren't ruined quite yet. She began smiling again as Odysseus led her through a turn.

The look of shock on Lelouch's face was not lost on Odysseus, who held back a small smile. She had been shocked that he was going to have to marry Tianzi. That seemed to prove his suspicions. Maybe he did actually have a chance with her.

As the song came to an end, Lelouch politely curtsied and Odysseus gave a regal bow, allowing her to go on her way. As she walked away, she made sure to add a little extra sway to her hips, a detail that was not lost on Odysseus.

"Well, Lelouch, happy birthday. Looks like you're another year closer to seeing me on the throne." Guinevere greeted Lelouch with a barely hidden tone of disdain.

"Well good evening to you as well. I see you decided to kill another family of swans for your outfit." Lelouch growled in response, refrencing her sister's over elaborate dress. Guinevere was without a doubt, her least favorite sister. The older woman was the epitome of a sheltered princess, with little understanding of the real world and absolutely no qualification to become empress. The first time they had met, Guinevere had insulted Marianne's heritage as a commoner. Since that moment, Lelouch had felt nothing but loathing for the First Princess, who easily returned her feelings.

Before the two could say anything else, Clovis swooped in between them, immediately defusing the situation.

"Oh Lelouch, I've been looking all over for you!" Clovis said, quickly grabbing his sister's arm and leading her away.

"What's going on, Clovis?" Lelouch asked, used to this kind of behavior. Clovis was a little eccentric at times, but even Lelouch had to admit that the man was talented at manipulating people. Lelouch would be hard pressed to find someone who could manipulate the public quite like Clovis could, even if he was terrible at chess.

"I need you to model one of my newest designs for me." With those words, Lelouch stopped in her tracks.

"No way Clovis. I know you're just trying to sneak a peek at me. Find someone else to do that, just not Nunally or Euphie." Lelouch said, pulling her arm out of Clovis' grasp. Although she had no qualms with incest if it was going to benefit her, Clovis was nowhere near as important as Schneizel or Odysseus. Thus, she found herself rejecting his advances time and time again.

However, just as soon as her arm was out of his grasp, another hand clamped down on her wrist. Surprised by the turn of events, she quickly turned to find herself face to face with the Knight of One, Bismarck Waldstein.

"Clovis, I have to ask you to talk with Princess Lelouch another time. She's needed somewhere else."

As he led her away, Lelouch thanked the Knight for coming to her rescue. He had been the Knight of One for her entire life and was a great friend of Marianne. Thus, Lelouch treated him almost as a member of her own family, and vice versa. Bismarck did not have a family of his own, so Lelouch was the closest thing he had to a daughter, and he usually treated her as such.

"Thanks Bismarck."

"It's no problem, Lelouch. Happy birthday." He replied, leading her across the dance floor.

Once they were out of Clovis' sight, Lelouch tried to remove her hand from Bismarck's grip, but his hand refused to budge, "Um, you can let go of my hand now."

"When I said you were needed somewhere else, I was serious." As close as they were, Bismarck's ultimate loyalty lay with the Emperor, and he could not afford special treatment to Lelouch.

He led her straight to the exit, where she was quickly ushered into a limo. Inside sat a blond boy in a Knight uniform.

"Princess Lelouch, this is Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Three. He's coming along for your protection." Bismark quickly introduced the two.

"Well, nice to meet you." Gino said happily, placing an arm around Lelouch's shoulders, "So, you're eighteen now, huh?"

"Gino!" Bismarck snapped, causing the boy to pull his arm back. Although the boy was there under the Emperor's orders, it didn't give him to right to act so disrespectful to a princess of Britannia.

"So Bismarck. What exactly is this about?" Lelouch asked, ignoring Gino.

"Your father wants to talk to you." Lelouch's eyes widened at that revelation. If the Emperor wanted to see her, that definitely meant that it was important business. Even as a princess, Lelouch did not have much access to her father, as did the rest of the royal children save Schneizel.

"Did he say why?"

Bismarck shook his head. So there were things that the Knight of One didn't know.

* * *

As Lelouch stepped inside of the throne room that Charles vi Britannia occupied, she took a quick look around, realizing that the room was entirely empty. Fear suddenly overcame her. Was the Emperor planning to kill her without any witnesses? Lelouch quickly ran through her latest actions to think of anything that would have called for such drastic measures. However, before she knew it, she was at the foot of his throne and fell to one knee.

"Your highness, what do you require of me?" The Emperor stared down at her for ten excruciating seconds before he responded.

"Lelouch, you are the brightest and the favorite of my daughters, but you must know that even you must contribute to the Empire, now that you are an adult. Seeing as you are only seventeenth in line to the throne, I can only offer you two choices. You are going to be married, or you will be joining the military, as Cornelia has done."

Lelouch gave a sigh of relief. So the Emperor wasn't going to kill her. As the second part of what he said sank in, Lelouch suddenly felt uncertainty in her heart once again. Was this why Cornelia suddenly left when she turned eighteen?

Now that she thought about it, Cornelia had never mentioned the military even once before her eighteenth birthday. But as that day came, Cornelia had immediately announced that she was going to join the military in a month. Was this the same fate that Lelouch had subjected herself to? At the time, she had seen it as a selfish gesture by her older sister in order to become Empress. But now that she had been handed the same choice, she found herself following the same path as Cornelia.

She loved Nunally and Euphie, but being used as a bargaining chip in some negotiation was much worse than having to leave them behind for a few months a year. Lelouch wondered, would they feel just as betrayed as she had initially?

"Very well, your majesty. I will serve in the military." Lelouch answered. There was no way that she was going to be used as a political bargaining chip. She was going to earn her place in society. Joining the military actually didn't seem like such a bad idea. If she succeeded, she would move closer to the throne for her usefulness.

Charles smiled at her choice. She was easily the best strategist out of all of his children, besides Schneizel, and he knew of her ambitions for the throne. Personally, he thought Odysseus was too weak, Guinevere was too pampered, Schneizel was too untrustworthy, Cornelia was too unoriginal, Clovis was too eccentric, Euphemia was too naïve, Nunally was too young, but Lelouch was different. She had just the right amount of ambition and drive to beat out her siblings, and best of all, she did not have the kind of power base that Schneizel currently had to stage a coup.

In a word, she was perfect for the throne. But that didn't mean that he was just going to hand it to her. No, he had to earn what was rightfully his and she would have to do the same. He had initially been disappointed when Marianne had given birth to a daughter, but after he saw the look in her eyes the first time she saw the throne, he knew that she was destined for greatness. Maybe the future of Britannia after him wasn't so bleak after all.

* * *

If you are coming from any of my other stories, just because I have started this story doesn't mean I'm abandoning Beyond Zero. It's just that I really became intrigued by the idea of what would happen to a female Lelouch and I found myself writing this chapter pretty easily.

This story is going to have romance, as you can see from the description. However, if incest disgusts you or anything, turn back now because I'm sure that Lelouch is going to have some "encounters" with Schneizel, Odysseus, and maybe a few other members of the Royal Family. Beyond that, if you have any thoughts or suggestions, please leave a review or PM! I would really appreciate any and all feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't normally write upload new chapters this quickly, but hey, when you're inspired to write, you write a lot. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Cornelia, why did you have the servants pack up your things?" Lelouch asked her older sister, who was trying to avoid her gaze. The older princess was walking out of the Aeries Villa with her suitcase in one hand.

"I'm sorry Lelouch, but I'm leaving today. I have somewhere I need to be." Cornelia responded.

"But I thought you said you were going to play with us today. Nunally and Euphie already have the tea cups set up." Lelouch had even dressed up for the occasion. She didn't particularly love the frilly dresses she had to wear all the time, but she was willing to wear them as long as they made Euphie and Nunally happy.

Cornelia visibly flinched at the mention of her younger sisters, but kept her stone cold expression.

"I'm sorry, but I can't play with you guys anymore. I'm off to Area Eleven."

"Area Eleven? Isn't that where we're fighting for Sakuradite?" Lelouch asked. For an eight year old, she kept up with politics on a much more serious basis than the average noble did.

"Yes, I'm going there to end the fighting." Cornelia said, continuing on her way to the exit, pausing to let the servants open the door. In the open doorway stood the Knight that Marianne had assigned to her, Gilbert Guilford. The bespectacled man stood there with a small smile as he relieved her of her bag, a contrast to the frown on Lelouch's face.

"So you're just going to abandon us?" Lelouch shouted at her back, forcing her to freeze in her tracks.

"You know, that's just selfish! You're just leaving us behind so you can be some big hero, isn't that right?" Lelouch accused, anger permeating every word.

"How dare you say that about Princess Cornelia!" Guilford angrily took a step towards Lelouch before an outstretched hand stopped him. He looked at Princess Cornelia incredulously, but after seeing the look in her eyes, he took a step back.

Cornelia wanted to respond, but she didn't want her sisters to know the truth. That she had been selfish. She didn't want to be tied down from marriage, even though that meant she could stay with her sisters. Lelouch had every right to be angry with her.

"You're right Lelouch. I am being selfish. I can only hope that you'll understand when you're older." Cornelia said to herself. She continued on her way, not once turning back to see the fuming princess she had left behind.

* * *

Lelouch stretched out as the suns invaded her vision, awaking her from her slumber. Her pillows seemed to be beckoning her back to sleep but she did her best to ignore them and sat up. She glanced over at her alarm clock on the bed stand to the right of her bed. 7:00. Deciding that nine hours of sleep were enough, she slowly climbed out of bed and feeling a cool breeze lick her naked body, quickly threw on a simple white robe.

She took a long look at the room she had lived in for eighteen years. Over the years, very little had changed, save for the addition of a small cabinet that she kept all of her important documents in. The wooden desk in the corner with the chessboard remained, as did the canopy bed she had slept in all her life.

It was weird how much it meant to her now to see her room. She had realized that she had taken too much for granted, and as much as she criticized Guinevere, she was more or less the same. She had lived in the same type of ornate palace that Guinevere did, ate the same kind of food, and slept in the same kind of bed.

Within a month, she would have to leave it all behind for officer training. She had never spent more than a week out of the Aeries Villa, let alone Pendragon. She realized that she was just as sheltered as Guinevere was, if not more. Would she really be able to survive in the military?

Beyond that, would she be able to survive without Nunally? For all of her life, she and Nunally had done everything together. But now, they would be forced apart by circumstance. She never admitted it to anyone, but Nunally was her rock.

Whenever Guinevere's teasing got to be too much, or she heard someone whispering behind her back, Nunally was the one who came to comfort her. What would she do if life in the military got to be too much? She definitely wasn't ready to leave her current life behind.

"Miss Lelouch, are you awake?" Her mahogany door opened slowly and Sayako, her servant, poked her head in. The woman was from Area Eleven, and had served Lelouch and Nunally for as long as they could remember. She was as loyal as a person could be, and Lelouch could at least rest easy knowing that Sayako could be trusted around Nunally.

"Yes Sayako. If you wouldn't mind, I need my bed made." Lelouch said, quickly pushing her doubts out of her mind. She normally made her bed herself, but today, too much was on her mind. As Sayako shuffled in to adjust the sheets, Lelouch stumbled over to the bathroom.

Taking a quick look at herself in the mirror, Lelouch slowly turned the faucet on, waiting for hot water to come out. She stuck her hand in the stream of water and, deciding that it was warm enough, splashed some on her face to wake herself up.

"Come on Lelouch, stay strong."

* * *

"It would be my honor." Jeremiah Gottwald said to his Lady Marianne's order, adjusting the collar of his new Knight's Uniform. As a servant of the Aeries Villa, doing a service as personal as the one that she had requested from him would be the greatest honor he could ever hope for. Not to mention, getting assigned to the gorgeous Princess Lelouch would be an honor and a privilege to any red blooded male. Most men right now would kill to be in the position he was just put in.

He had been a mere guard for eight years, but he loved Lady Marianne too much to ever complain about his job. And now that she had personally appointed him, he was overjoyed. He would do his job to the best of his ability, or die trying. He owed that much to her.

"Good morning Lelouch." Marianne said as she saw her daughter descend the stairs, dressed only in her robe.

"Good morning, Princess." Jeremiah said, bowing in a greeting before suddenly realizing how indecent Lelouch was. From where he was dressing, he could distinctly make out her…no! He was a servant of the vi Britannia family. He could not be thinking about his Princess that way!

"Who is this?" Lelouch asked, suddenly more self conscious and aware of the fact that she was almost naked, pulling her robe closed.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, at your service." Jeremiah continued, refusing to look up at her in this state.

"Lelouch, I know what Charles did to you. Look, I was a solder once too. It's dangerous out there. As a Princess of the Britannian Empire, you will always be the target on the battlefield. That is why I have appointed Jeremiah Gottwald to be your Personal Knight of Honor."

"I see." Lelouch replied, looking over the man. He looked to be in his late twenties and looked the part of a solder. Although he was still on the skinny side, he had a built figure and his eyes constantly darted around, looking for danger. Yes, he was clearly a solder.

"Princess Lelouch. I know it's not my place to tell you this, but shouldn't you get dressed soon? The Empress has informed me that you will be receiving Princess Euphemia in a few hours."

Lelouch had almost forgotten that she had invited her sister over to tell her that she would be joining the military.

"Right. Thank you." She nodded curtly and turned to leave, only to hear footsteps following her. She whipped around to see Jeremiah standing a few feet behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"As your Knight, I must escort you everywhere you go."

Lelouch sighed. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

* * *

"So Lelouch, why did you want to see me?" Eupemia asked, playing with one of her soft pink curls. They were currently sitting next to each other on Lelouch's bed. Although Lelouch normally received guests in the parlor, the matter that she needed to talk about was too personal for anywhere but her room.

"Euphie. I need you to promise something." Lelouch said seriously.

"Lelouch, is something wrong? Why are you talking like this?"

"Just promise me that you'll take care of Nunally for me." Lelouch said. Nunally was the most important person in the world to her, and she needed her to be protected. In the Royal Family, any sign of weakness could be fatal, and Lelouch knew that Nunally was already considered weak by most of her siblings, which was already a death sentence.

Only Lelouch's, and to a certain extent, Cornelia's presences kept the others at bay. But if she went off to the military, then there's no telling what could happen. The Royal Court was just more deadly, if not more than the actual battlefield.

There was backstabbing, corruption, lying, deceit, the list went on and on. Within the Royal Family itself, there was infighting, secret pacts, conspiracies, and again, the list went on and on. Nunally was not ready to take part in this world, but once Lelouch was gone, she knew that, regardless of whether Nunally was ready or not, she was going to be dragged in.

"Why? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"Just promise me." Lelouch cut her off.

Seeing the desperate look in her sister's eyes, Nunally had no choice but to give in, "I, Euphemia li Britannia, promise to do everything in my power to protect Nunally."

"Thank you."

"Now, would you like to explain what's going on?"

Hesitating slightly, Lelouch opened her mouth, trying to find the words, "I'm going to join the military. I'm going to report to camp within a month."

A look of shock came over Euphemia's face as Lelouch uttered those words.

"Lelouch, you aren't serious, right? Have you even told Nunally yet?"

Lelouch shook her head grimly, "No, I'm not sure how I can tell her. I wish I didn't have to go, but I don't really have a say in the matter. That's why I needed to ask that favor of you. Nunally may be a princess too, but Guinevere and the others will eat her alive without me. That's why I need you to keep that from happening."

"Oh Lelouch, I would have protected Nunally anyways. We are all sisters after all." Euphemia pulled Lelouch into a bone crushing hug that seemed to last forever. She wanted to hold on to her sister, and never let her go off to the army. But, all good things must come to an end, she thought humorlessly.

* * *

Suzaku Kururugi knew that mantra as well. He had learned it when Japan had been invaded. Britannia had come through and swept over everything like a wildfire. All of the culture, pride, and freedom of the Japanese had been annihilated. Even the name of Japan itself had been desecrated, changed to a mere number.

And he had been a first hand witness. He trudged through the sea of the dead and the dying that the Britannians had left in their wake. He had witnessed up close the faces of those who had lost all hope and were utterly defeated. The screams of agony that reverberated most of the land at the time were still ringing in his head, a constant reminder of what Britannia had taken from him.

That was why he was going to destroy Britannia. He was going to lead the Japanese out of their oppression and rise up against the Britannians. But first, he had to find a way to lead a unified resistance. The JLF was easily the largest resistance group in Japan, but even they had never won a full on battle against the Britannians, instead having to resort to terrorism to survive.

The truth was, most groups did not think that they could win a full on war against Britannia, and they would be right, if they remained divided. However, Suzaku believed that, as a united force, they could beat Britannia.

Being the son of the last Prime Minister had its perks. He already had the full support of the Kyoto Group, and the JLF was willing to support him. Still, there were many groups that were functioning independently of each other. If he could somehow gain their attention, he might be able to lead a united Japan against Britannia. All he needed was some way to make it known that Japan was leading a united army.

* * *

Odysseus could do nothing more than to listen in shock at what his assistant was telling him. Lelouch was going to join the military? It sounded more like a hoax, but it was clear that the man was not joking around. If it was true, then he had to go find Lelouch right away.

"Are you sure that he heard right?" The man responded with a nod. Of course he did.

"Get me a car then. Right away."

"So why exactly did you assign that man to Lelouch? Are you sure you should trust a complete stranger like that?" C.C. couldn't resist asking, snatching a piece of toast off of Marianne's plate.

"Jeremiah has always been the most loyal of my guards. If anyone was willing to die in the line of duty for a vi Britannia, it would be Jeremiah." Marianne replied.

"Do you expect Lelouch to be in danger then?"

"I'm sure that she's going to fight for the throne. If anyone was going to choose Lelouch over the Empire, it would have to be Jeremiah."

"Fair enough." C.C. said, observing said princess from afar.

Lelouch wasn't sure how she was going to tell Nunally the truth. And more importantly, she wasn't sure how Nunally was going to react. Would she be angry? Worried?

"If I may, maybe you should go ahead and tell the princess the truth. I think she would appreciate your honesty on a topic like this." Jeremiah suggested. He was concerned for Lelouch, who had been pacing back and forth all morning.

"Lelouch!" The Princess turned just in time to see Odysseus slamming open the front doors and running to her. Jeremiah stood in front of her protectively, but Lelouch waved him off, allowing Odysseus to run up to her.

"Odysseus? What are you doing here?"

"Please Lelouch, don't leave." So he knew about her decision.

"I wish I didn't have to go, but I don't have a choice."

"Did Father put you up to this?"

Lelouch nodded, "He said that I could either get married or join the military."

"Then marry me!" The words were already out of Odysseus's mouth before he realized what he had just said.

Lelouch's eyebrows arched in surprise. She definitely didn't expect Odysseus to work up the courage to actually say something like this. But this could definitely work to her advantage.

She sighed, "Sorry, but I doubt that Father will let me go back on my choice. Besides, I'm sure that he actually wanted me to join the military from the beginning. But," She began, "I do like you Odysseus." She said, blushing furiously and fidgeting with a loose strand of her hair, looking almost like a lovestruck high school student.

"I really wouldn't mind marrying you." She whispered softly enough for him to hear.

He opened his mouth to respond, but Lelouch cut him off.

"But, I also really love Nunally. If anything happened to her, I don't think that I could ever forgive the people responsible." She said, subtly hinting at what she wanted him to do.

Odysseus wasn't dumb, and he knew what she was getting at.

"Don't worry Lelouch. I'll do my best to protect Nunally. You have my word as the First Prince of Britannia."

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Lelouch exclaimed, happily capturing him in a hug and burying her head in his chest. Odysseus stood in shock for a moment. After all, it wasn't like Lelouch to show so much emotion. It was clear that she dearly loved her sister for her to evoke so much emotion.

Of course he couldn't guarantee anything. He wasn't sure that he was even capable of doing what he had just promised. Getting involved in the politics of the court was really his strong suit. But defending one person? He was reasonably sure that he could do it, but a bit of doubt nagged him. Well, a bit of doubt nagged every action he took.

Maybe that's why he was thought of as so mediocre. It was hard to make decisions though. What if it was the wrong choice? That was his greatest fear, making the wrong choice. If it meant that people thought that he was indecisive, then so be it.

However, even if he wasn't making the right choice, at least he wasn't making the wrong choice. That seemed like a good result to him. With Nunally, at least there wasn't really any choice for him to make. All he had to do was to stick by the promise he had made.

Even if he had to make a choice, for some reason, he felt like he would make any choice he would have to. Maybe it was just the effect that Lelouch had on him. When he was around her, he felt, for whatever reason, more decisive, more bold.

As Lelouch nuzzled his chest, she felt his large arms wrap around her shoulders, bringing her even closer to him. She pulled her head out of his chest and looked up at him, noticing that for once, he actually returned her gaze with his sky blue eyes. For a moment, they stood in an embrace, gazing deeply into the other's eyes.

Placing her hands upon his chest, Lelouch rose up on her toes, bringing her head to almost the same level as his. She paused slightly, before rising up just a little more and meeting his lips in a tender and soft kiss.

On Odysseus's part, he couldn't what was currently happening. Lelouch was actually kissing him! Her lips were as soft as he had ever imagined, and the fireworks he had always hoped for from his first kiss were in full force, bombarding him with sparks of overwhelming happiness and excitement, mixing together in an orgy of pleasurable emotion. Currently, his mind was having trouble processing any sort of thought, all of its focus directed on the woman currently kissing him.

She was the one to end it, slowly breaking the connection that they had made, letting her lips linger for a second before breaking off for good. As she pulled away, she knew she had him in her hands from the look of ecstasy on his face. Nunally was going to be safe now, that much she knew. With Euphemia and Odysseus constantly protecting her, she had to be safe.

Lelouch had to admit, she did feel sort of bad for using Odysseus like this, but as Machiavelli would say, "The ends justify the means." Besides, if Odysseus did align himself with her, he would end up as emperor, so in a way, they would both benefit from this.

"I'm going to miss you." She whispered, placing her head back in his chest while he stood there dumbstruck, his mind fried by what had just happened. He found enough control left over his body to slowly nod in response.

"Me too." He whispered softly, absent mindedly running a hand through the soft raven strands of her hair. Even if he was the Mediocre Prince, he had Lelouch, and no one else could say that, not even Schneizel. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Although he never wanted to be the center the attention, it still hurt whenever he heard someone call him indecisive or mediocre.

He knew he wasn't especially talented, but still, did people even understand how hard it was to make decisions that could affect an entire country? The pressure on his shoulders every day was exceptional. Where did these people get off on criticizing him when they could probably do no better themselves?

However, now he could say that he was decisive and exceptional enough to attract Princess Lelouch vi Britannia, the most sought after woman in all of Britannia. For that right, he would wait for her. He could wait a few months. In fact, he could wait an eternity for her.

* * *

"Princess Lelouch, are you really going to marry Prince Odysseus?" Jeremiah asked, Odysseus having left an hour ago.

"I don't know. For now, I just need him as an ally." She replied.

"Are you trying to make a play at the throne?"

Lelouch looked at the man, uncertain whether she should trust him or not. After all, she had known him personally for less than a day. Tentatively, she decided that there was no point to hide the truth.

"Yes, although I likely won't strike for a few more years."

Surprisingly, Jeremiah took her talk of treason well.

"But Princess Lelouch, what if Prince Schneizel opposes you?"

Lelouch was definitely impressed by Jeremiah's loyalty. Not only did he not even bat an eyelash at her choice, but he actually showed concern about her plan. She was in desperate need of trustworthy allies, and perhaps Jeremiah was one. Maybe he could be trusted later on.

"He won't. In fact, that is why we're going to see him right now."

* * *

"Lelouch, what are you doing here?" Schneizel asked as Lelouch waltzed into his office, with a blue haired man trailing right behind.

"Schneizel, I need to talk to you about something. Alone."

Schneizel gestured at Kanon, who shot Lelouch a wary look before following Jeremiah out the door.

"All right Lelouch, what do you want?" Schneizel was a straightforward man and had no time for any games Lelouch was trying to play.

"What? Just because I want to talk to my brother, that means I want something?" Lelouch said innocently.

"Yes it does." Schneizel replied.

Lelouch waltzed over to Schneizel's chair and sat down on the armrest, taking care to invade his personal space.

"Can't two siblings just sit around and talk?"

Schneizel sighed, "Not in this family, unfortunately."

"See? That lack of trust is precisely why we don't all get along better."

Schneizel decided that now would be as good a time as ever to cut her off.

"Is it about your decision to join the military?"

Lelouch's face quickly morphed to an expression of shock, "How did you know?"

"Lelouch, I'm the Prime Minister of Britannia. When one of my siblings enlists in the military, I find out about it."

Scowling, Lelouch stood up from her seat next to Schneizel, "Fine. You got me."

"So what is it that you need?" He swiveled his chair so that it was facing Lelouch, who was now leaning up against his bookshelf, looking out his window.

"I need an insurance policy."

"What do you mean by that?"

Her violet eyes darted to him at his question, "I mean, I need you to keep the others from taking advantage of my absence and hurting Nunally. She's the easiest target in the Royal Family, you know that."

"And what do I stand to gain from helping you?" Schneizel couldn't help the smile that came over his face. They both knew that he was the one holding the chips now. If this was chess, now would be the appropriate time to say, "check."

"What do you want?"

"I think you know what I want."

Lelouch stared back at him for a second before she slumped over in defeat. Checkmate once again.

"Okay."

She slowly moved her hands to the back of her dress before slowly slipping a shoulder out of the violet fabric, exposing her pale skin.

"Ah! That's not what I meant!" Schneizel yelled, hands instinctively covering up the rapidly rising bulge in his pants, that part of him wanting her to continue.

Quickly slipping the fabric over her shoulder with a blush Lelouch asked, "Then what is it that you want?"

"All I want, is your assistance."

"Me? The great Schneizel needs my help?"

"Don't put it like that. When you are plotting against the Emperor, it never hurts to have allies."

For the first time since the tables had turned, Lelouch smiled, "So you are plotting to take the throne as well."

Schneizel smiled in response, "What can I say? Great minds think alike."

* * *

"Lelouch, is something wrong?" Nunally asked as Lelouch tucked her in, as she did every night. However, normally, Lelouch would be chatting with her about her day, but today, she was silent.

"No, I'm fine." Lelouch replied, "Just a little tired."

Nunally was more perceptive than most people realized. She just had an innate gift to sense what basically anyone was thinking and right now, she knew her older sister was anything but fine.

"Lelouch, you don't have to lie to me. What's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm…" Her voice began to falter as she looked at Nunally's concerned face.

"Lelouch, stop treating me like a little kid. I deserve to know what is bothering you!" Nunally growled. Sometimes she got sick of the special treatment that Lelouch always tried to give her. Just because she was younger didn't mean that she deserved to be fed lies.

With a shocked look on her face, Lelouch nodded, "Okay. The truth is I'm going to join the military. I'm going to be gone at the end of the month."

"Oh." So that was why Lelouch didn't want to tell her.

"I'm so sorry. It's not because I don't love you anymore." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes. However, Nunally's reaction was not the one she had expected. For the second time today, she felt two arms wrap around her shoulders, although these arms were considerably smaller.

"It's all right Lelouch. Just promise me that you'll be careful." Nunally whispered in a soothing voice.

"I'm sorry for acting like this." Lelouch choked out.

"Don't worry so much Lelouch. I'll be strong for you. I'll make you proud." Nunally said, patting her older sister's back.

"Come on, stay with me tonight." Nunally said, falling back onto her bed, pulling Lelouch along with her. When they were younger, they would stay together for the night if one of them had a nightmare. More often than not, Nunally was the one who needed help. However, it was clear to her right now that Lelouch needed her presence much more than she needed Lelouch's presence.

"Good night." Nunally whispered, pulling Lelouch's head close and planting a kiss on her forehead. As she slowly watched Lelouch succumb to sleep, she turned to face the ceiling.

She knew that Lelouch was just being an over protective sister, but sometimes she resented the way that Lelouch treated her. As if she were crippled or something. Granted, she didn't look especially strong, but then again, which princesses did?

Most people wrote her off just because of her appearance. Everyone, even her big sister Lelouch always saw her as weak. All she wanted really, was just to have the chance to prove everyone wrong. That she was more than some spoiled princess. That she could achieve greatness on her own, without the help of anyone else.

"Lelouch, I know you mean well, but I'm not a little girl anymore." Nunally sighed before deciding to join her sister.

* * *

**I know that in canon, Suzaku was all about change from within, but I think it's because Lelouch always sort of kept him in check as children. Without Lelouch to kind of keep him calm, I feel like Suzaku would have evolved into the role he always should have been in, as the leader of a Japanese revolt. Since that's the case, I think it should go without saying that Lelouch probably won't have a romance with him, although you never know.**

**Speaking of romances, at this point, I think the main ones will be Odysseus, which is more one sided, and Schneizel, which is more mutual between the two. Also, I don't know why, but I always thought that a female Lelouch might kind of be cute with Jeremiah, but hey, what do I know? If you guys have any suggestions for this, please PM me or leave a review. Any and all thoughts are appreciated. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm glad to be getting any feedback, as it really inspires me to keep writing. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it is mostly just set up.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Gino Weinberg's eyes nervously darted around the throne room as he took in his surroundings. There was no one in the room aside from the Emperor and his guards, along with Bismarck keeping watch. Bismarck. Was that what all of this was about? Was this why he had been summoned? Sure, he knew touching a princess probably wasn't a good idea, but it was Princess Lelouch! What else could he do? Any other teenager would have done the same thing!

It might have been hard to believe, but the current Knight of Three was in fact, a teenager, making him the youngest member of the Knights of the Round. Despite this, he was still one of the best pilots in Britannia. There was a reason that he was the Knight of Three. Still, to the Emperor, everyone and anyone was expendable if it served a greater purpose, including Gino.

Tentatively, he knelt in front of the Emperor, who had an intense stare fixed on his back.

"Sir Weinberg, you have been an exceptional pilot so far, however…" Gino gulped. He knew that he was done. The Emperor was known for being cruel and he knew that he was not afraid to punish even his own Knights if he felt insulted by them.

"…You are one of the youngest members of the Knights of the Round. As a result, you will be sent to keep an eye on Princess Lelouch at training camp. I want her to be safe at all times. If I hear even one report about her being injured, you will be executed, regardless of your current post."

Relieved that he simply being ordered around, Gino eagerly nodded, "Of course Emperor."

Although he wasn't dead yet, the threat was still in the air. Still, it was better than what he had expected coming in. At least there was now a chance that he could get out of this alive, as long as Princess Lelouch didn't get hurt.

"Bismarck, lead him out." Charles ordered.

Just as he exited the room with Gino in tow, Bismarck immediately turned around.

"Don't fail Gino. If you do, I swear that I will be the one to personally execute you if I hear about the Princess being injured."

Gino nodded in understanding. It was known that Lelouch was Bismarck's favorite of the Royal Children, and that if the Emperor died, then Bismarck's first priority would be to enter the Princess's service. Due to that fact, he fiercely protected Lelouch and obviously, he wanted her to stay safe as well. Besides, it wasn't like he had much of a choice anyways besides nodding at Bismarck's threat.

"Good." Bismarck whipped around and returned to the Emperor's side.

Gino rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. This was either going to be the greatest success or the worst failure of his short career.

* * *

"Be careful." Nunally whispered to Lelouch as she hugged her for the last time. Lelouch savored the contact, doing her best to commit it to memory. Although she never wanted their embrace to end, Nunally pulled away, giving her a small wave.

"Go and prove to everyone why the vi Britannia women are the best pilots in the empire." Marianne joked before wrapping her daughter up in a bone crushing hug.

A part of her was proud of her daughter for continuing her legacy. Lelouch seemed to be a naturally talented pilot, and Marianne knew from the first time that Lelouch had touched a Knightmare Frame that one day, her daughter would go off to become a war hero and most likely surpass her skills.

Lelouch had known almost instinctively how to pilot, and if Bismarck had not caught her, Marianne was sure that Lelouch would have actually been able to pilot a Knightmare Frame at the age of 6. She had known instantly that Lelouch's destiny was to join the military at some point. Still, she hadn't expected that day to come so suddenly.

"Mother, at this rate, I won't need to go to the battlefield to die." Lelouch gasped, struggling to free herself before she choked.

"Sorry." Marianne apologized, letting go of her,"But you know, I don't really want to see my little girl grow up."

"Me neither Mother." Lelouch sighed before giving her one last quick hug. In a rapid succession, Euphemia came up and hugged her as well.

"Don't worry about Nunally. Just stay safe yourself, okay?" Lelouch had already told her about how Schneizel and Odysseus had also promised to protect Nunally. Frankly, she thought that Lelouch was just being paranoid now. With the protection of the First Prince, Prime Minister, and herself, there was no way that anyone could even think about hurting the young princess.

Lelouch on the other hand, would be in far more danger. On the battlefield, she would constantly be the target of other pilots and she knew that training camp would be anything but easy. She knew that Cornelia was always the main target in battles and the only reason that her older sister was still alive was the fact that she was an exceptional pilot. Otherwise, she would have been dead a long time ago. She could only hope that Lelouch learned as quickly as Cornelia did.

"Don't worry Euphie, I'll be fine." Lelouch replied.

The pink haired princess nodded and backed off, letting Schneizel through.

"Don't forget to make some friends. You never know who could be of use." Schneizel reminded, keeping a distance from Lelouch.

"Really? That's it? Not even one ounce of concern from you?" Lelouch said with mock sadness.

"All right. Take care of yourself, all right? I can't have my partner getting killed." Schneizel relented, giving her a quick hug.

"Heartless bastard." Lelouch muttered in his ear, causing a grin to break out on his face.

"Princess, we should go now." Jeremiah chided from beside her.

"Right." Lelouch nodded, following him to the town car that would take her off to her new home for the next few months.

"Lelouch! Wait!" Confused, Lelouch turned to the source of the voice, only to crash into a brick wall. Actually, it was a brick wall named Odysseus eu Britannia. From the way that he had not even flinched as she crashed into him and the six pack she had felt under his shirt, it was clear to Lelouch that Odysseus worked out often.

"Wow, you sure are hard." Lelouch muttered, causing Odysseus to blush, "So what are you doing here?"

"What? I shouldn't come to see off my favorite sister?" Odysseus asked innocently.

"Well then, thank you for coming to see me." Lelouch said, suddenly finding the ground very interesting.

"No problem." Odysseus smiled before pulling her head up to face him and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Lelouch didn't even have to fake the look of surprise that had come over her face as his lips met with hers, tenderly kissing her. He pulled away with what could be best described as a smirk while Lelouch tried to regain her composure after being caught off guard.

"Right, I'll be sure to write to you." Lelouch said quickly, sliding onto the leather seat of the car with unnatural speed and slamming the door shut. Jeremiah adjusted his mirror, trying to see what had the Princess so worked up.

"Floor it." She ordered. As the car roared away, she could distinctly make out Nunally, Euphemia, and Marianne all suddenly crowding Odysseus while Schneizel shot him a dirty look through the window.

As she reclined into her seat and fingered a small locket around her neck, her mind drifted to her memories of the last few days.

* * *

Euphemia and Nunally decided to throw her a going away party, which was attended by most of her siblings. Clovis had given her one of his newly designed bathing suits, although she had decided that it was far too skimpy the moment she saw it. Schneizel had given her a travelling chess set with handcrafted ivory and ebony pieces with a suggestion to practice.

Euphie had given her a small locket with a picture of Nunally playing with Marianne inside. Lelouch had promised that she would always keep it with her.

Speaking of Nunally, she had also given Lelouch a present. Apparently, Sayoko had taught Nunally a little bit about Japanese culture because she gave her a small paper crane that she had folded herself, informing her that if she folded 1000 of them, her wish for Lelouch to return home safely would come true. She was truly touched by this gesture and had stashed the crane in a small box that she was hiding under the bed.

Odysseus had shown up too and gave her a beautiful golden ring encrusted with amethysts, with the implication being clear. He had clearly intended it as an engagement ring of sorts, although when he had been questioned by Euphie and Nunally, he responded with a minute of stuttering and blushing.

Overall, it was nice to know that at least some people would be missing her, although, at the same time, that fact made it harder to leave everyone behind.

She slowly fingered the ring that she was still wearing before she decided to remove it, an action that was not missed by Jeremiah.

"Princess, are you going to be okay?" Jeremiah asked with concern from the driver's seat, "After all, you'll be leaving Odysseus behind."

She rolled her eyes at the mention of that name. While he did impress her somewhat with his bold move, it would still be a while before she would consider him worthy of marriage without bringing politics into it. It wasn't anything personal, after all, she still had never met anyone she considered worthy of marrying yet.

"It was all just acting on my part. I couldn't really care less about leaving him behind. He'll hold off on his marriage with the Chinese Empress, and that's all that matters to me."

"I see." Jeremiah nodded, although personally, he wasn't sure if leading on the prince was the best idea. After all, there was only so much one could take before he reached a breaking point.

* * *

"The Suzaku Kururugi? As in the son of the last Prime Minister of Japan?" Naoto Kozuki asked incredulously, not believing that he was actually meeting such an important man.

Suzaku nodded in response to the man's question, "Yes. That's me."

"Well, what do you want with a group as small as ours?"

Suzaku looked around at the dingy apartment they were meeting in. The group certainly wasn't rich, but they did somehow get hold of a Glasgow, and their leader was a well respected man in the ghettos. Not to mention, they supposedly had an ace pilot for the Glasgow.

"I've recently made contact with some engineers from the Chinese Federation who wanted another Glasgow to study. Well, I've heard that you have a Glasgow in your possession, as well as a certain ace pilot." Suzaku replied, noticing that an expression of anxiety overcame Naoto's face.

"Well yes, we do have both, but…" He hesitated for a second, "The ace pilot is actually my younger sister. That's not to say that she isn't good. Heck, she's the best pilot we've got. But, she actually still lives with our parents in the Britannian Settlement. In fact, she's there right now."

Suzaku was surprised to find that the pilot was actually a woman. Not that he was sexist, but it wasn't everyday that you found a female ace in a terrorist cell.

"So is she Britannian?" Suzaku asked, suddenly noticing some familiar Britannian features on Naoto's face.

"Well, our mother is Japanese, but our father is Britannian."

"I see. Well, may I at least know her name?"

"Kallen Stadtfeld, although Kallen Kozuki's her real name."

Suzaku sat back with a smile on his face, "Well then, Kallen Kozuki, looks like I have a visit to make."

* * *

The car pulled up in front of a large military base. Aside from a small guardhouse at the entrance, two Sutherlands ominously stood at attention, making the message clear that any trespassers could expect death. Jeremiah deftly turned the car so that the window on the driver's side was next to the window of the guardhouse.

"Hold up right there." A solder ordered before walking out to inspect the car.

"Lower the window." Lelouch ordered and Jeremiah immediately complied.

The man's eyes widened as he noticed who was sitting in the backseat.

"Princess Lelouch! Sorry for the wait, we'll let you through immediately."

The man saluted and dashed back to the guardhouse. An instant later, the gate in front of them was open and they were driving up to the main building of the base, which was surrounded with large fields that were currently being used for training at the moment by Sutherlands.

They stopped in front of a door that was marked with "Entrance" above the doorway. Just before Lelouch made a move to exit, Jeremiah motioned for her to stop, "Princess Lelouch, just a word of advice. You can't expect any of these men to give you respect right away. As far as they're concerned, you're just some princess trying to get publicity. However, if you can impress them and gain their respect, you'll make some powerful allies."

Jeremiah then exited and opened her door for her while she pondered his words for a minute. He was right. The other recruits probably thought that she was some airhead princess. After all, that was how she always portrayed herself in public. While that image was great for dealing with nobles, these were solders who probably didn't want to fight alongside some helpless princess.

Although she was going have to change her image once again, it was actually a bit of a relief to her. She hated having to play up her princess side and having people constantly treat her like she was fragile. In the military, she was free to act like her natural self.

She stepped out, taking a second to adjust to the sunlight that had been blocked out by the tinted windows of the town car. She heard Jeremiah close the door and the crunch of his footsteps, informing her that he was now right behind her.

"Princess Lelouch!" A dark skinned woman with silver hair greeted her with a salute, which Lelouch quickly returned.

"I'm Major Nu." The woman greeted. As Jeremiah gave her a scrutinizing glare, she instantly felt nervous.

"Oh, and you must be Sir Gottwald." She greeted happily, trying to change his mood. However, when it came to his Princess, Jeremiah had no time to be anything but serious.

He nodded, "Yes. Tell me, where will Princess Lelouch be staying?"

"Once you enter the building, take a left and you'll reach the barracks. This base is used for training of all branches of the military, so all recruits stay in the same barracks, regardless of specialization." Villetta informed him as he icily led Lelouch past her. Once the two were gone, she managed to breathe a sigh of relief. As handsome as Sir Jeremiah was, he was far more intimidating than anyone she had ever seen aside from the Emperor himself.

* * *

Lelouch tentatively walked into the room where the trainees were sleeping. It was merely a large room filled with rows upon rows of plain bunks with white pillows and sheets.

"This is not at all up to your standards." Jeremiah spat, ready to go back and chew out Major Nu, but Lelouch stopped him.

"Wait, you said that I had to gain the men's respect, right? I won't be able to do that if I don't spend any time with them."

Jeremiah nodded, "As always, you are right my Princess."

Ignoring the stares from most of the other recruits, she walked over to a bunk located the corner of the room, right next to one of the large windows that allowed sunlight inside of the room. Jeremiah quickly moved to the bunk directly next to the one that Lelouch had chosen.

A recruit was already using it, but once Jeremiah shot him a glare, he decided that it would dangerous for his health to defy the blue haired man.

As she approached the bunk she had decided on, she saw a figure stir from the top bunk. It was a young man with shoulder length brown hair that came down in messy bangs in front of his slightly foreign face. As he hopped down and stood to his full height, she could tell that he was tall. For a woman, she was often considered to be tall, yet this man towered a few inches over her.

"Hello, I'm Neil Dylandy." He greeted, holding out his hand.

Seeing the warm smile on the man's face, Lelouch quickly took his hand, "Lelouch vi Britannia."

Before Neil could respond, a very angry blue haired man stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, easily lifting him off of the ground.

"Jeremiah!" Lelouch called out.

"What gives you the right to touch a Princess?" Jeremiah growled with murder in his eyes. Immediately, two men ran up next to Jeremiah and tried to force him to put Neil down, but they were no match for Jeremiah's strength.

"Jeremiah, put him down. I command you." Lelouch ordered.

Jeremiah wanted to do nothing of the sort, but since Lelouch was his Princess, he had no choice but to follow her orders. Angrily, he dropped the man onto the floor, but refused to move from his position. Immediately, the two men, one with shoulder length purple hair and another with long black hair that covered half of his face, ran up to help the man up.

"Thanks Allelujah." He muttered as the one with black hair helped him to his feet. The two offered him concerned stares before walking off, leaving the three in an awkward position.

Neil massaged his bruised neck as he winced in pain.

"Wow, that hurt." He groaned, rubbing up against a particularly red section of his neck.

Lelouch sighed. Although Jeremiah did overreact, he was simply doing his job, and he was right to do what he did. As a princess, she was always in danger, and freely giving out trust like she had just done could be potentially fatal.

"Jeremiah. I appreciate what you're doing, but I don't think that a Britannian solder is particularly dangerous."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm actually incredibly dangerous." Neil said, annoyed at Lelouch's comment.

"That's not helping your case." Jeremiah snapped in response.

"What seems to be the problem over here?"

All three turned to see a stern looking man staring angrily at them. He was dressed in a blue uniform with some stripes to indicate his rank of Sergeant on his shoulder.

"Nothing, Sergeant Soresi." Neil said, instantly standing up and saluting the sergeant.

"Ah, Princess Lelouch. What an honor to meet you. Was this filthy idiot bothering you?"

"No Sergeant. My Knight simply got into a disagreement with him." Lelouch replied, not noticing the look of fear that came over Neil's face.

"Oh? Well then, Private Dylandy, expect a court martial. You know that you have no right to even be speaking to a Knight, much less arguing with one." Soresi informed Neil with a look of pleasure on his face before turning around and walking away. As he did so, Neil let his shoulders slump in defeat and sat down on the bottom bunk that Lelouch had previously claimed.

"What was that about?" Lelouch asked.

"Sergeant Soresi hates me because I'm not a Britannian." Lelouch frowned. It seemed like the sergeant was a Purist Faction that had been gaining power recently. Personally, she didn't care whether solders were Britannian or not. As long as they could do their job, what was the difference?

"You're not?"

"No, I'm from Ireland. I had to flee when fighting broke out there between Britannia and the EU. I decided to join the military after I managed to flee to Britannia land. I'm not a Number, so I can't be treated like one, but still, I'm not the same as a Britannian."

Lelouch had known that his face had not looked Britannian. She had heard about the fighting in Ireland a few years back. Cornelia had mentioned it on one of her visits home, just before she had redeployed. From what she had heard, a large amount of civilians were killed during the fighting. It was likely that Neil's family had been among the victims.

"Why would you join the military then?"

"Well, the only thing I was really good as when I was younger was shooting and piloting stolen Knightmares. It was only natural for me to become a solder at some point. If it wasn't here, I would have joined the army of the EU. But I preferred Britannia since the pay's better and my skills got me into the training program for the Knightmare Corps. And besides that, I do have my reasons."

Neil quickly plastered a smile on his face.

"But that's enough about my problems. You know, you should probably get some rest soon. After all, you're probably in for a long day tomorrow."

* * *

"Brother! Did you really just kiss Lelouch?" Euphie asked, amazed at what just happened.

"Does this mean that you are going to marry Sister?" Nunally asked. Of all people, she never expected Lelouch to be into Odysseus, but it's not like she was against him at all. In fact, he was her favorite brother besides Clovis because he was the only one willing to play with her when they were younger. Schneizel was always too busy doing something, and none of her other brothers ever came over, which meant that usually, Clovis and Odysseus were around. Although Clovis was always nice to her, he always wanted to play with Lelouch, so that meant that only Odysseus would take the time to play with her.

Although it meant that Lelouch might stop spending as much time with her, she did think that Odysseus would actually be a good husband for her older sister. No, she wouldn't really mind having him as a true member of their family.

"Actually Nunally, if he does, I'm going to rip him to shreds." Marianne informed her daughter in sweet tone that did not reflect her morbid words at all, causing Odysseus to gulp in worry. Why exactly did he do that again? He knew that he was going to be confronted by all of the others, but for some reason, in that moment, he didn't care who saw him. All that had mattered was that he was letting Lelouch know how he felt.

And now, he had forgotten that Marianne the Flash was her mother, and that the woman's temper could be legendary.

"Trust me, marriage never crossed my mind." Odysseus reassured, although that had the opposite of the intended effect.

"Oh? So are you just using my daughter for her body?" Marianne asked with a hint of anger in her voice, and although Odysseus was scared to keep talking, he knew that he was dead if he didn't keep going.

"No! Not at all! But, she is only eighteen. She still has a few years before she should be thinking about marriage, and the same goes for me as well. That's what I meant!" He quickly stammered.

"Good, she shouldn't be thinking of marriage, especially not with you." Schneizel said suddenly, coming up next to Marianne, glaring at Odysseus all the way. Odysseus could easily feel his glare burning a hole though him with its intensity. Why was Schneizel so angry at him for anyways? It's not like he was her mother or boyfriend or anything. Then it hit him. Schneizel must have been rejected by Lelouch and now he was jealous of their relationship. So he really did have an advantage over the White Prince in that regard.

He couldn't help the smile that began to form on his face. He didn't really have any malicious intent, but Schneizel saw the smile and instantly, his frown deepened. He clenched his fists at his brother's sudden burst of stupidity. Why was it that he only chose now to actually make a bold move?

For 28 years, Odysseus had let everyone push him around in political negotiations and the such, but he was willing to stand up for a woman? Granted, it was a gorgeous woman, but still! However, as brave as it was for Odysseus to take a chance like that, he had forgotten about one important detail.

"Do I need to remind you that you are going to be engaged to Empress Tianzi? Or have you completely forgotten that little fact? I wonder how Lelouch is going to feel about you when she's at your wedding?"

Oh, right. Odysseus had completely forgotten about his engagement, and now Schneizel had brought up a valid point, completely destroying his victory. Once again, Schneizel was the one who had thought ahead, and he was once again the Mediocre Prince. At that revelation, for the first time in his life, Odysseus felt rage build up within him. He was done being pushed around and taken advantage of. He was the First Prince of Britannia, not Schneizel, and it was time to start acting like it.

"Tell the Chinese Federation that the marriage is off." He growled, turning to leave.

"They'll take that as a declaration of war." Schneizel called out. Odysseus paused and Schneizel knew he had him beat. His brother always tried to avoid unnecessary conflict. Ultimately, that was his fatal flaw.

"Let them. If they try to fight us, I will not hesitate to destroy them." Odysseus said coldly before walking off with his assistant following closely behind.

* * *

**Okay, I know that Odysseus is OOC now, but come on. You're telling me that he doesn't get angry with being pushed around by his younger brother? I really think that if Schneizel had ever pushed him like this, Odysseus would have flipped. Besides, I think that having a bitter Odysseus who can actually challenge for the throne would be more interesting.**

**Also, for those of you who don't know, Neil Dylandy and Allelujah are both Gundam Meisters on Gundam 00. I know that it would technically make this story a crossover, but since Neil is basically the only character who's going to get any face time, I figured that I would leave this as a Code Geass story. For those of you who do know him, I hope that you agree with me that he could be a potentially awesome character and that he deserves something more than what Gundam 00 gave him. I'm still sad about his death actually. The way that Haro calls out his name always gets me. **

**I was wondering though, are you guys fine with me featuring some Gino? He is one of my favorite Code Geass characters, and I feel like I owe something to him. After all, the reason I started starting thinking of a fic with a female Lelouch is because of a doujinshi I read that featured Gino and a female Lelouch. Obviously, he's not going to be as important as Lelouch, but he is one of the Knights of the Round and I think that if he had a crush on Lelouch, it would definitely create an interesting dilemma later on.**

**Anyways, sorry for the long author's note, but I had a lot to get out. As always, feel free to leave a PM or a review. Any and all thoughts are appreciated! Being the review whore I am, it really means a lot to me and it gives a lot of extra motivation to write when I get a review, so please don't be afraid to share your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to say thank you to anyone who reviewed the last chapter. Every review really means a lot to me and inspires me to keep writing.**

* * *

Chapter 4

"So Kallen, how was your trip to Pendragon?" The peppy orange haired girl currently sitting to her right asked. Shirley was nice enough, although Kallen had to admit that she did get on her nerves every now and then.

"Oh, it was very nice." She replied softly, still under her usual disguise as a sickly high school student. God, she hated having to play that role. It was bad enough that she couldn't run around and do as she pleased, but apparently, boys were into sick girls because she was constantly being hit on.

"Hey, I heard you got to meet Princess Lelouch. So, was she as hot as the rumors say?" The annoying blue haired boy to her left pried. Rivalz. She honestly had nothing redeeming to say about him except that his heart was in the right place. Besides that, she found him endlessly annoying and he irritated her to no end.

"Even hotter." The confident blond informed the group. Milly was more of a dictator than the Student Council President at times. Since she was the granddaughter of Ruben Ashford, she basically had free reign to do whatever she wanted. Which usually involved dressing Kallen up in some sort of costume.

"Oh, that's right. President, you got to go to Pendragon too, right?" Shirley asked.

"Sure did!"

"So, was the Princess really that hot?" Rivalz asked, still focused on that topic.

"Let's just say that I was tempted to take her in the bathroom, rip off her dress, and start rubbing up against her…" Milly began.

"Ah! Please stop right there Madame President!" Shirley said, blushing at the thought that had suddenly come into her head. From her corner, Nina nodded vigorously in agreement, also being plagued by some indecent thoughts.

Kallen also found herself blushing at the boldness of some of Milly's remarks. She had gotten somewhat used to them since she was a member of the student council and thus, she was forced to deal with her antics almost every day, but still, some of the things that girl would say.

Deciding that she couldn't even bear to look at the girl anymore, she decided to look out of the window. They were meeting after school, so she expected the rest of the school grounds to be empty. However, to her surprise, there was a lone man standing in the middle of the field. And he was looking straight at her.

* * *

Lelouch had never been in public school, but it was clear to her that she would not be attending one anytime soon. The lecture that was currently being given was boring her out of her mind. They were supposed to be learning about military strategy, but, in her opinion at least, they were learning nothing that could actually be utilized on the battlefield.

Honestly, she knew more effective and imaginative tactics when she was ten years old. The constant games of chess against Schneizel, who was possibly the most talented strategist in the entire world, had honed her decision making and problem solving skills. By now, she could probably find a way to win any battle under any conditions, at least, that's what she thought.

That's why she was currently falling asleep instead of learning.

"Hey, wake up!" A voice whispered next to her.

She quickly sat up at attention and turned to the source of the voice to see…The Knight of Three?

"Gino Weinberg?" She asked, but he turned his head back to face the board before she could get a better look.

"What? I'm definitely not the Knight of Three. I'm…Wino Geinberg!" The blond stammered.

"Right." Lelouch said skeptically, not believing him for a second.

Now that she was on alert, it wasn't hard to spot Gino, who was unsuccessfully trying to discreetly observe her. The boy had the subtlety of a tank, but Lelouch decided to play along for the time being. After all, he wasn't really posing any danger to her at the moment.

"Princess, should I confront Sir Weinberg? He's watching you. Again." Jeremiah whispered into her ear as she was doing target practice. Not like she needed him to tell her. She could see Gino trying to hide behind one of the landspinners of a parked Sutherland. Just as she perfectly placed a shot directly in the bullseye, she responded, "Leave him be for now. He's not really a threat to my safety."

"As you wish." Jeremiah responded as the Sutherland suddenly began moving forward, nearly running Gino over.

* * *

Schneizel was dreading this moment. The moment where he would have to gently tell the Chinese Federation that the arranged marriage was off. Not that he expected the manner in which he said it would make much of a difference. Either way, the Chinese Federation would take it as a slap in the face and declare war, no matter what he did. They might be intimidated by Britannia's military, but that didn't mean that they weren't a prideful nation. Any slight against them would be instantly taken as an act of hostility, this decision included.

"Well gentlemen, there seems to have been an unexpected development." He announced, gaining the undivided attention of the representatives gathered in the conference room. They were all assembled at a table that was in the shape of a crescent, with a seat for Odysseus at the head of the table and a seat for Schneizel immediately to his right.

"What? An unexpected development? I thought that we had already come to an agreement." A high eunuch said in surprise. The two sides had been negotiating for weeks, and both sides had been in agreement that a marriage between the two sides would be the best choice. Thus, it was surprising, to say the least, to hear of a new development.

"Well, I will let my brother explain himself." Schneizel said, smirking slightly as he put his brother on the spot.

"Um well…" Odysseus stuttered as he stood up and quickly smoothed out his pants. As he felt the harsh glares coming from every member of the room, he suddenly lost all of his confidence from before. He suddenly remembered how much he hated conflict and how much easier it would be to just go along with Schneizel's plans.

"Get on with it! What has happened?" The eunuch asked impatiently.

With a gulp, Odysseus found his voice, "The marriage is off."

Immediately, all of the representatives of the Chinese Federation shot out of their seats, shouting.

"What? Are you just going to bully us into submission instead?" One particularly angry representative asked.

"Uh…"

"Well, it won't work. We won't go down quietly. You have just made a powerful enemy." The man spat at Odysseus before turning on his heel and exiting the room, quickly followed by the rest of the representatives.

Schneizel groaned. The meeting had gone even worse than he had expected. Odysseus sure had picked a terrible time to go back to normal. At least it made him less bitter about the exchange that they had earlier. Odysseus was definitely more embarrassed right now than Schneizel had ever been during their argument.

"Well Odysseus, time to make good on your promise." Schneizel added before he left as well, leaving Odysseus alone in his seat at the head of the table.

* * *

The recruits were all in their Knightmare Frames, prepared for the war game, which was one of the preferred methods for officer training. Not only did it offer piloting training, but it also tested the potential officers' abilities to formulate a plan.

"All right, is everyone ready?" Lelouch asked, checking the controls of her own Knightmare to make sure that everything was working. As she did, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that some planes of an unfamiliar color were flying over the base, but she paid it no heed.

Before she could receive a response, an explosion rocked the entire field. Lelouch could see the entirety of the main barracks become engulfed in flame before a select few spots erupted in a geyser of metal and fire. It was clear that the planes from before were responsible.

The screams were all around her, pouring in from every member of her team. There they stood, frozen in confusion. Another explosion, this time by a nearby tree, brought Lelouch back to her senses. She frantically whirled her machine around, almost surrounded by the sea of fire that seemed to be engulfing most of the field. The Sutherlands had been built to withstand extreme heat, but that didn't mean that the smoke from the fire couldn't cloud their vision.

They were surrounded by fire, the enemy was piloting bombers, and a large amount of base personnel had to be dead by now. So those were the conditions. As she analyzed the situation, Lelouch couldn't help the smile that came to her face. Despite the danger to her life, Lelouch was finally feeling exhilarated.

"Move to cover! They might be circling around for another attack!" Lelouch ordered, snapping the rest of the recruits out of their daze. As the others obediently carried out her orders, she let out a chuckle. She had just gotten her first taste of true control over a unit. And it tasted amazing.

"Princess! Are you injured?" Jeremiah quickly maneuvered the Sutherland he had been piloting over to Lelouch's side.

"I'm fine Jeremiah. Just stay by my side for now." Lelouch ordered. Her mind was working in overdrive, simultaneously observing her surroundings and continuing to adjust her plan.

She led the rest of the recruits in a beeline for the barracks, which were the only source of cover in the base, despite the fact that about half of it was annihilated in the original attack.

"They're coming back around!" She heard one voice yell out. Lelouch saw one of the planes had indeed circled around and looked to be ready to drop its payload.

In a panic, most of the recruits broke formation and began scattering wildly.

"Stay in control!" Lelouch snarled, but they paid her no heed. She grimaced as the recruits fanned out, becoming easy targets. She was losing her command. She slammed her fist against the controls of her Sutherland. If they would just listen to her orders, the battle could still be won. She watched helplessly as the Sutherlands wildly drove around, moving like a mass of headless chickens.

As they did, a single shot rang out. Before her eyes, Lelouch saw the plane lose one of its wings, causing it to spiral out of control and hit the plane immediately to its left.

"Who fired that shot?" Lelouch questioned, but most of the recruits were still yelling over the comm channel.

"Private Dylandy, at your service." Came the familiar voice.

It was then that Lelouch noticed a Glasgow coming in her direction. Her eyes widened as she saw him pull up next to her in a simple Glasgow armed only with a simple assault rifle.

"You fired that shot? But that was well out of the range of a simple assault rifle."

"What can I say? I told you I was dangerous."

Before she could respond, the rest of the planes followed the two planes from before and circled back around for an attack.

"I've got them Princess! Move away!" Neil yelled, bringing the rifle up and firing carefully, each shot bringing plane after plane down.

Lelouch sat back and watched the sniper go to work for a second before she switched her comm back on, barking out orders. She was not going to lose this battle.

* * *

"What? Are you sure?" Schneizel yelled into his phone. He had gotten reports that the Chinese Federation just attacked a base on the border. The same base that Lelouch had been sent to.

"Well, I hope you're happy." Schneizel growled at Odysseus before he snapped his phone open again and began barking orders.

"What happened?" Odysseus asked, still unaware of what had just happened.

"Because of your actions, Lelouch's life is in danger."

"What?"

"The Chinese Federation has declared war and they've attacked our base in California. The same base that Lelouch was sent to."

"What?" Odysseus shot out of his seat.

"I've sent troops in to fight off the Federation, but if Lelouch is injured or worse, it's on your hands."

Falling back into his seat in a heap, Schneizel shook his head, "I never wanted that."

"Well, we can't always get what we want, now can we?" Schneizel sneered.

* * *

"Princess! I have received word that reinforcements have been spotted!" Jeremiah informed Lelouch, who quickly nodded.

"All right then! All units, we will retreat from this position. Try to hold formation!" Lelouch ordered, leading the rest of the units in a line towards the western gates of the base.

As they approached the gates, a much larger force of Sutherlands appeared on the horizon.

"Princess Lelouch! Is that you?"

She nodded as her Sutherland received the new comm signal.

"Yes, are you the reinforcements?"

"Yes ma'am. We've been ordered to secure you and Lord Jeremiah before anything else. Our second priority is to secure Lord Weinberg."

* * *

Lelouch gave a sigh of relief as she was allowed to exit her Knightmare and was led to the Mobile Command Center. With the large mass of Knightmares that surrounded her and Jeremiah by her side, she felt much safer than she had earlier.

"So what exactly is going on right now? Why were we attacked?" She asked, wanting answers.

The guard merely shook his head.

"You'll have to ask Prince Schneizel when he arrives."

"Wait, Schneizel is coming here?"

"Yes Princess. He flew out immediately as soon as he heard about the attack."

The man stopped just as they arrived at the entrance of the Command Center.

"You'll have to wait here until the Prime Minister arrives." He informed them before walking off.

Nodding, Lelouch sighed and leaned back against Jeremiah, who gently held her in his arms.

"Princess Lelouch! Are you okay?" He asked, worried that she might have sustained an injury earlier.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." She replied, finally coming down from her earlier adrenaline high. She let Jeremiah support all of her weight as she took a look around. Solders were frantically running around in all directions, carrying wounded and dead personnel off of the base. Large anti air guns had been deployed and were now keeping watch, ready to shoot down any Chinese Federation planes that might have remained.

Suddenly, most of the solders stopped in their tracks, parting to allow a small group through. Lelouch stood up, trying to get a better look. It seemed like two soldiers were escorting a prisoner. However, as she looked at the uniform of the man, it was clear that he was no ordinary prisoner. No, the blond locks that obscured the man's face were much too familiar.

The soldiers were walking right at Lelouch and Jeremiah, intent on entering the Command Center.

"Stop right there." Lelouch ordered.

"Princess Lelouch!" The two exclaimed, saluting her.

"Why are you two escorting the Knight of Three like he's a prisoner?" Lelouch asked, looking at Gino, whose head was hanging in shame.

"The Emperor has ordered his capture. He is to be returned to Pendragon to await execution." One solder responded.

"What? Why?" Lelouch asked, not believing that her father would want to kill one of his prized Knights.

"His Majesty ordered me to protect you. I have failed in that task, so I must pay the price." Gino spoke up, raising his head up.

"As you should." Jeremiah growled, still worried about Lelouch, who was now glaring at him.

"No. One mistake should not decide a man's fate. Besides that, I have not been injured in any way." Lelouch said, "You do not deserve to die. I will talk to my father about this."

"No, it is the punishment I deserve." Gino replied, keeping an expressionless face.

"When I return to Pendragon, I will speak to my father. Until then, let this man go." She ordered.

"But Princess…" One guard began to protest.

"Are you questioning an order of a member of the Royal Family?"

"Of course not!" The man saluted.

"Then leave this man to me. I'll keep an eye on him now."

"Yes ma'am." The guard replied before walking off with his partner. One they got a safe distance away, Gino looked up at Lelouch, who was looking at him with a sympathetic look in her eye.

"Well then Gino, you're free to go."

"Wait, just like that? You're just going to let me go?"

"Yes, I know that you will show up to your trial anyways, if it goes on. However, I will still try and talk my father out of this."

"I don't deserve this. I failed in my duty. Why should you try to protect me?"

"You said it yourself, you don't deserve this. The Chinese Federation was responsible, not you. I don't see any use in having an exceptional pilot executed for such a weak reason."

Gino fell to his knees placed his head on the ground.

"You truly are kind, Princess."

"Yes. Well then, go on your way." Lelouch said, waving him off, but Gino merely came to his feet, refusing to move.

"I cannot. In return for your mercy, I cannot allow any harm to come to you."

Lelouch opened her mouth to protest, but stopped once she thought about it. It really wouldn't hurt to have a Knight of the Round as her escort back to Pendragon. Although he was bumbling fool sometimes, Gino was still one of the talented Knightmare pilots in all of Britannia, and he could probably take Jeremiah in a fight. No, it really wouldn't hurt her to have him by her side. If she could somehow save him from execution, it was very likely that she could gain him as an ally.

"Okay." She replied gesturing at him to come to his feet. With a smile, Gino hurriedly stood up and walked over to Lelouch's side.

"Lelouch!" She turned to see Schneizel running towards her.

"Schneizel." She replied in a calmer tone.

"Have you been hurt in any way?" He asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and performing a quick inspection.

"I'm fine, but do you want to explain what's going on?" She said, pushing him off of her.

"The Chinese Federation has declared war on Britannia. They just attacked the base you were stationed on with their air force."

"But I thought that the negotiations were going well."

"They were, until Odysseus decided to call the arranged marriage off."

"Wait? He did what?"

"You should know. He's calling it off so that the two of you can marry."

"Really?"

She knew that she had gotten him to fall for her, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that he would start a war for her sake. Odysseus was had definitely become bolder and, dare she say it, more attractive lately.

"Yes. As you can imagine, the Chinese Federation didn't take kindly to that revelation. After we announced that, they stormed out and we found out a few minutes later that they had decided to declare war on Britannia."

"But we still have an advantage over them, don't we?"

"Well yes, but I would have preferred to just come to an agreement with them so we could attend to more pressing matters, like the EU. That reminds me, Father wants to talk to you. As you can imagine, you cannot stay at this base any longer."

Lelouch nodded. That much was clear.

"I see. Then I will go and see Father now."

"Good luck."

* * *

The walk into the palace was a surprisingly soothing experience. Several times, Lelouch stopped to admire the beauty of the architecture and the careful care the groundsmen took to keep the garden beautiful. After spending time on a base that was built for utility and not beauty, Pendragon seemed twice as beautiful as it used to.

The view out of one window that overlooked the hedge maze of the Imperial Palace was especially striking. As she looked at some of her younger siblings run around, Lelouch smiled. She could almost remember the days when she played hide and seek with Nunally, Euphie, and Cornelia. Usually, they would play continuously, never really acknowledging their surroundings. But now, after the last week, Lelouch had a newfound appreciation for the palace she had grown up in.

"Princess, we should keep moving." Jeremiah chided, softly whispering in her ear. Lelouch nodded slowly, taking one last gaze at the garden before continuing on her way, flanked on both sides by Jeremiah and Gino.

"Lelouch." Bismarck said in a professional tone as he saw her approaching the throne room.

"Bismarck!" Lelouch cried out, engulfing the Knight in a tight embrace.

"I've been worried about you as well." Bismarck chuckled as he began to return the embrace, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. For a second, the vision of a tough knight began to fade away when they pulled apart and Bismarck returned to his professional tone once he noticed Gino.

"Why is Sir Weinberg with you?" He asked, his disdain evident in his tone.

"I'm going to try and talk Father out of executing him. Gino did a fine job. Look, I'm not hurt at all." Lelouch said, spinning around as if to prove a point.

Bismarck sighed, "I know. But I'm not the one you need to prove that to."

Lelouch nodded, "Right."

She quickly ran a hand through her bangs, which she had meticulously combed on the helicopter ride back. Her hands traveled to the hem of her skirt, quickly smoothing out the violet material. She needed to look the part of a princess if she was going to get what she wanted.

The doors of the throne room opened up, revealing the Emperor seated on his throne with Marianne by his side.

"Mother?" Lelouch exclaimed in surprise. She definitely had not expected her mother to be present at this meeting.

"Lelouch!" The Empress ran up to her daughter, capturing her in a hug.

"I'm fine Mother." Lelouch reassured as her mother pulled away to look for any signs of injury.

"Lelouch, come here." The Emperor's booming voice rang out. Knowing better than to keep her father waiting, Lelouch quickly followed his commands, kneeling before his throne.

The man looked at her for a second before his eyes traveled to Gino, who was still waiting at the door with Jeremiah.

"Why is that idiot with you?" He snarled, causing Gino to visibly flinch.

"Please, Your Majesty. I know that you have planned to have him executed, but I assure you, he has done nothing wrong. I am still in perfect condition and, in fact, he saved my life."

"That may be, but he still allowed you to be caught in the line of fire. I cannot let someone so careless serve in my Knights of the Round. If I had been on the battlefield, I would have been dead."

"Father, he is still an exceptional pilot. It would be a waste of his talents to have him killed." Lelouch pleaded.

Charles looked down at his daughter for a second before smiling.

"Very well. I have no use for him anymore, so I will have him stripped of his rank and he can serve in your Royal Guard, since you seem to have taken a liking to him."

Lelouch nodded at the concession. It was very unlike the Emperor to change his decisions, but Lelouch was grateful that he was feeling merciful today.

"Thank you."

"Now, to the matter of your training."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I think that I have learned everything I will ever need to know. I am ready to serve in the military." Lelouch replied. She had already gotten a small sample of what it felt like to be in command, and she was lusting for more.

"Hm. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. If you want to get ahead in this world, you cannot wait for things to come your way. You have to go out and take it. Very well. I will assign you to lead in the war effort against the Chinese Federation. You will report to Cornelia by the end of the week."

Lelouch grinned with excitement. This was her chance.

* * *

**I know that the training part was short, but come on, you didn't read this story for scenes of training. I'm more interested in writing about the politics of the Royal Court and large scale warfare. I think that Lelouch wasn't really made for military training anyways. She's meant to be out on the battlefield. Also, one review mentioned a Li Xingke pairing, and I have to admit, that's not a bad idea. They'd actually be pretty good together. That might actually come up later in this story since I like that idea so much.**

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! As usual, any and all feedback would be appreciated. Feel free to leave your thoughts, either as a PM or as a review. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry if you guys were expecting an upload last week, but school and NBA 2k13 got in the way. I do usually try my best to upload once a week, but writing isn't my job, and I have a pretty busy schedule normally. I can only write when I have time, and I just didn't have enough of it last week. **

**Other than that, I appreciate every review I receive, and I want to personally thank everyone who wrote one last week for taking the time to leave their thoughts. This chapter is a little short, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"So how did it go?"

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Schneizel waiting for her outside the doors of the throne room. The blond prince was currently leaning up against a pillar, with his faithful companion standing to his right, engrossed by something on his PDA.

Straightening out her dress, Lelouch returned to her usual expression. A small little smile mixed with a bit of boredom.

"Rather well. Father has appointed me to join Cornelia at the military base in Area 11. I imagine that we'll try to establish naval supremacy before we begin our invasion."

Schneizel nodded. Using his left arm, he pushed himself up from the pillar, bringing him eye to eye with Lelouch.

"Yes. We have been amassing forces the past few years in the South Pacific, specifically for this reason. War had always seemed inevitable in the past. I guess that we were right. We were close to avoiding war too. If only Odysseus didn't go and anger them…" Schneizel trailed off, realizing who he was talking to, "Not that you aren't worth a war!" He added quickly.

"Well, I don't think anyone is worth a war, but I do feel a little flattered by that." Lelouch responded.

"Oh? So are you seriously in love with…" Schneizel paused, "…him?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just in love with the idea of loving him. Either way, I'm Helen of Troy right now, and I plan to enjoy that for a little bit."

"If you're Helen, then is he Paris?" Schneizel questioned. Lelouch did not miss the hint. What he really wanted to know was if she was seriously considering marriage with Odysseus.

"Maybe, do you have a problem with that?" Lelouch asked with a smirk on her face. Schneizel had made a mistake, giving her an opening.

"Of course not." Schneizel snapped in response, although the smoldering look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Why?" He asked softly, "Why him?"

"Oh? Whatever are you talking about, dear brother?" Lelouch asked, emphasizing the word "brother," as if she was hinting that that's all they were, and all that they would ever be. She made a move to pass by Schneizel, but found a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't" Lelouch replied forcefully, shaking his hand off and continuing on her way. She brushed past him, followed quickly by Gino and Jeremiah, who both gave him a little glare before harshly shoving past him.

Helplessly, Schneizel watched her leave, a small frown on his face. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no words would come out.

* * *

"Please Lloyd, try to get some sleep. You're working yourself to death." Cecile scolded the eccentric scientist currently fumbling with some small metal parts and a screwdriver. He had been fiddling with one of his developments all day, and now, he looked almost like a mad scientist, with light hair frizzled and bags under his eyes.

"Not now! Don't you see? I'm close to solving the puzzle! This darned VARIS rifle keeps malfunctioning, and I've narrowed down the problem." Lloyd snapped in response, shooing her away as if she were a dog.

"Lloyd, if you don't put down that screwdriver, you won't get dinner!"

"I'm fine. Just hand me a few pudding cups and I'll work until dawn." Lloyd replied, still focused on the task at hand.

"Come on. I think I really perfected the recipe of my strawberry curry!" Cecile coaxed, trying to entice him with a promise of food.

"Eh, I think I'll pass. I don't think I want food poisoning tonight." Lloyd waved her off again, but Cecile would not be stopped this time.

"What did you just say about my cooking?" Cecile asked with a smile, although the throbbing vein in her head meant that she was definitely not smiling on the inside. Noticing her expression, Lloyd nervously laughed.

"I was just kidding! You know, I think I'll go eat dinner after all." Lloyd replied anxiously. Looking back down at the parts he had been working on, he made one final adjustment. Suddenly, the small gear sprang to life, drawing a childlike look of wonder from both of them.

"Lloyd! You did it!" Cecile exclaimed, looking on in wonder at the rotating pieces.

"Of course, and all it took was the threat of eating your food!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"What did you just say?" Cecile asked, the threat heavy in the air.

"Eh, I'm really looking forward to that strawberry curry?"

"That's what I thought." Cecile replied, spinning on her heel and walking off.

* * *

"Lelouch."

"Cornelia."

The two princesses stood across from each other, each flanked by their knights. Cornelia was dressed in her usual red uniform, as was Guilford. Lelouch and her knights, on the other hand, were dressed in a similar uniform, the main distinction being that it was forest green.

For a moment, the two could only look at each other in silence, both struggling to find the right words to say. Lelouch's eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. She was currently standing in Cornelia's office, which was as Spartan as she had always imagined it to be. After all, Cornelia didn't seem like the type of person to spend time in the office.

She was the kind of person who would want to lead from the front lines, not from behind a desk. That explained why the office seemed almost like it had never been used. The mahogany desk in the center of the room was completely clear save a lamp which was coated with dust. Obviously, it had not been touched in a while. The same went for the leather chair placed behind the desk.

In a way, there was something admirable to Lelouch about the state of Cornelia's office. In fact, she was reminded of one of her favorite sayings she had learned from Schneizel when they were young.

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" He used to say. Cornelia seemed to embody this spirit perfectly, almost to a fault. She always placed herself in danger, which had to be endlessly frustrating for Guilford.

But beyond that, it allowed to command complete respect from her subordinates, who saw her more as a comrade than as a leader, as a fellow soldier who could not, and would not be left behind under any circumstances. As much as she cursed Cornelia for her recklessness at times, Lelouch had to admit that she was a great leader. And, although she would never admit it, she respected Cornelia.

"I've been assigned to lead a unit in conjunction with yours." Lelouch managed to say, breaking the silence.

"I see. Then I assume that you finished your training?" Cornelia asked, trying to start conversation, although, even to an outsider, it was obvious that they were both uncomfortable.

"I wasn't really cut out for training." Lelouch replied tersely, not making any attempt to continue down that thread of conversation.

Cornelia nodded in agreement. Lelouch was never really one to take orders like she probably had to in basic training. She was the one to give out orders, not receive them. Lelouch always seemed to be in control of the room whenever she entered. She could not explain what it was, but it just seemed like whenever Lelouch opened her mouth, it was hard not to listen to her. Not only was it impossible to stop listening to her, but it was also hard not to completely agree with whatever she was saying.

It was only natural that she would take on some sort of a leadership post. Cornelia was certain that Lelouch would end up surpassing her own rank in the military before soon. If it wasn't her commanding presence or her silver tongue, Lelouch was also perfectly aware of her attractiveness and was unafraid to utilize her body in ways that Cornelia envied. Even if the two of them didn't always get along, Cornelia respected Lelouch.

"Well, come on! You guys don't have to act all professional just because we're here. Go ahead and do what you need to!" Gino said, grabbing Guilford and playfully hugging him.

"See? We're all friends here." He continued, refusing to release his grip even when Guilford began struggling.

"Gino." Jeremiah growled, subtly hinting for the boy to stop. Having been a faithful servant of the vi Britannias, he knew all too well about the rift that had come between Lelouch and Cornelia.

"No, he's right." Cornelia said, tentatively engulfing Lelouch in a tight embrace.

"Cornelia." Lelouch started, but Cornelia cut her off.

"Please Lelouch. You have to know by now that I never wanted to leave you behind. Please, you have to believe me." Cornelia said, refusing to break away. She was never one to show too much emotion, but with Lelouch it was different. They were sisters, despite everything, and Cornelia trusted Lelouch more than almost anyone else. Even if their relationship was strained, they both knew that the other was trustworthy for the most part.

"I…" Lelouch hesitated. She had already forgiven Cornelia for what she had done. After all, she was as guilty as Cornelia was. But still, to admit that she had been wrong was not easy.

Then again, would it really be bad to have Cornelia as an ally? After all, Cornelia was supposedly the most loyal of all of the Royal Family to the throne. If anyone was going to stand against her, it would be Cornelia.

"I believe you." Lelouch replied, hugging her back. Although she couldn't see her sister's face, she knew that a smile was forming on Cornelia's face from the way that she had tightened her grip. Yes, Cornelia would be more than valuable.

* * *

The fragrant scent of oolong invaded his nostrils, eliciting a contented smile from Li Xingke. In a time like this, he had to take the small victories as they came. For the time being, Britannia had not launched an all out attack in retaliation, which gave him a small window to prepare some semblance of a defense.

As bleak as the situation was for the Chinese Federation, Li Xingke was also a bit relieved. He could not imagine Empress Tianzi being forced to marry some Britannian Prince. The very thought made his blood boil. He supposed he owed that much to the Prince, even if he was the enemy.

As for the High Eunuchs however, he had no forgiveness. They had tried to sell out the Chinese Federation to Britannia. They were willing to allow centuries of Chinese culture to be destroyed by Britannia, just for some noble titles. They really were traitors and despicable. However, there was really nothing he could do about it now, not when he had to find a way to defeat the greatest military force the world had ever know with a military force that was currently the weakest out of the three world superpowers.

Leave it to the Eunuchs to assign him such a task, and expect success.

"Commander Li!" The commander was a young man, no older than 25. His face was still extremely youthful, although his eyes seemed to hold wisdom beyond his years. If one was to look closely however, one would see thin creases forming on his forehead, the result of the pressures of being a commander.

"What is it, Zhou?" He asked, in a slightly urgent tone, his tea forgotten. Zhou Xianglin had been his best friend in basic training, and he had been working with her for the last few years. Beyond that, they had a bit of a relationship early on, but he had decided to devote himself to working for the Empress. Despite the fact that he had ended their relationship, they were still on good terms. He trusted Zhou Xianglin above anyone else, and he knew that she would not bother him without good reason.

"Britannia is preparing to retaliate. We have reports that they are mobilizing forces within Area 11 and are going to try and invade Beijing directly!" She cried out, quickly placing a folder on his desk.

Li sighed and the creases returned to his face. His job was hard enough without having to deal with the repercussions of the Eunuch's rash decisions. They had started the war, and now they expected him to finish it. Although he didn't want to admit it, he could tell that victory was already unlikely. Britannia had more men, weapons, and most of all, they had a talented pool of officers. Besides himself and Zhou, Li did not see much promise in most officers of the Chinese Federation.

Despite the fact that he knew that he was fighting a losing war, he had no choice. He promised the Empress that one day, he would take her outside the palace walls. He swore to do it, and he would! She saved his life, it was the least he owed to her.

"All right then. Get me the phone. I have someone I need to contact."

As Zhou bowed and walked off to perform her task, Li lightly coughed into his hands. It was happening again. One cough came, and then another, this time harder, and another, harder again. Each cough sent a shockwave through his body and made his head spin. He grabbed onto the edge of his desk and held on tight to keep himself from collapsing.

He gritted his teeth, willing the fit to an end, "No, not now."

The coughs subsided for the time being, allowing Li to take in a deep breath to clear his throught back up. Without Zhou noticing, he quickly wiped off his hand with a tissue, tossing the scrunched up paper stained with red in the trash.

* * *

"So, do we know the situation?" Lelouch asked. She had not been briefed on the situation beforehand, and she still was not sure what Cornelia's plan was yet.

"There is a man called Li Xingke. He is supposedly in charge of the Chinese Federation forces and is reputed to be a tactical genius. Other than that, they should be relatively easy to suppress." Cornelia described as she began walking to the command room.

Lelouch just barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. Cornelia always seemed to underestimate the spirit and tenacity of her enemies. After all, when one's back is up against the wall, what can one do but fight?

Beyond that, even she had heard of Li Xingke. The man was beyond any mere human, He was reputed to be the greatest strategic mind the Chinese Federation had possessed since Kongming himself. In addition, he was supposedly a master Knightmare pilot and a hand to hand combat expert. In short, he was much better suited to lead the Chinese Federation than that figurehead Empress and the corrupt Eunuchs serving under her.

"So, what will you have me do? You are still technically my superior." Lelouch asked. She inwardly cringed at the submissive statement, but she knew better than to question Cornelia's authority too early.

"I want you to go and draw out the Federation Forces. I'm sure that if we could force them into open combat, they will easily fall. However, a guerilla war will only waste our time and resources. So I want you to goad Li Xingke into attacking." Cornelia informed her as she turned a corner. As they did, they came face to face with Odysseus.

"Lelouch!"

"Odysseus?" Lelouch said with a confused look, "Why are you here?"

"Technically, I'm in charge in here. However, I have Cornelia running most of the day to day operations." He explained, and suddenly, Lelouch felt disappointed in him. He was willing to start a war for her, but he was still willing to let Cornelia completely undermine his authority and take control of his forces.

"I see. Cornelia, do you mind letting us talk alone?"

"Okay. I'll meet you in the command center." Cornelia replied with a nod, briskly walking off. Once she was out of range, Odysseus turned to Lelouch.

"Lelouch, what do you need to talk about?"

"Cut the crap Odysseus. Why are you letting her push you around like that?" Lelouch demanded, refusing to beat around the bush.

He sighed, there was really no way for him to lie to her, "I…I didn't want to go out there and make a mistake."

Lelouch shook her head, "Odysseus, you can't always make everyone happy, why don't you understand that? Quit worrying about what everyone thinks, and do what needs to be done."

Honestly, his lack of drive was insanely frustrating. He was far too worried about what everyone else thought of him. In the end, it would be futile because there would always be someone who would disagree with him, so why should he even try?

"But…I'm not that kind of man. Hate me if you want, but that's not who I am."

"I can't hate you. But, I also know that this scared child is not you. Come on, you're the First Prince of Britannia!"

"I know, but…"

"Hm, and here I thought that you had changed." Lelouch said with a huff, "I guess you'll always be the Mediocre Prince."

She was prodding, searching for his breaking point, which she knew had to be close. If Odysseus was ever going to lead, he had to reach some sort of breaking point that could allow her to take advantage of.

Odysseus didn't know what happened, but he lost control. The thought of Lelouch forsaking him as well was unbearable.

"I am nothing of the sort!" He screamed, causing Jeremiah to flinch and quickly place a hand on his holster.

"You of all people will not call me that! Schneizel and the others are nothing!"

"Then take control, Odysseus. That's the only way to prove yourself."

"I will! Cornelia is my subordinate, and she will follow my orders!" Odysseus snapped, stomping off.

Lelouch smiled. Odysseus had surprisingly shown some fight in him. Maybe he wasn't completely hopeless. All he really needed was some prodding. But the fact that he was capable of some moments was reassuring. Maybe he was still her ticket to the throne.

* * *

"So, you are the ace Knightmare pilot I've heard so much about." Suzaku said with a warm smile, completely at ease.

"How did you know?" Kallen asked, slowly stirring her drink, considerably less at ease. After all, it wasn't normal for her to be sitting in a small noodle shop in the ghetto talking to the son of the last prime minister.

She definitely felt like some sort of criminal, sitting in a secluded booth in a seedy ramen shop. Although she was an ardent resistance fighter, at the same time, she was still just a teenager. This was the first time that she had left the Tokyo Settlement without her brother, and she was unnerved.

"I've talked to your brother." Suzaku replied, thanking the waiter who brought them their ramen. The steam rose up in torrents, almost covering Suzaku's face before the man picked up his chopsticks and stabbed them into his bowl.

Kallen looked back with a confused look, "Naoto talked to you?"

"Yes. As small as his little resistance movement is, anyone and everyone is a valuable ally." Suzaku said, slurping up some noodles.

Before Kallen could inquire further, a phone rang out. Suzaku quickly wiped his mouth and flipped out a cell phone.

As placed it up against his ear, Suzaku's eyes widened, "Really? Then I guess I should get right on it."

As he hung up, Kallen couldn't resist the urge to ask.

"What was that about?"

Suzaku merely looked at her with a small grin, "Say, how do you feel about a little field trip?"

* * *

Lelouch felt the room tense up as she waltzed in.

"Princess!"

Lelouch looked over the men that had stood up to salute her. Everyone in the room except for one had gotten out of their chairs.

"Lelouch!"

The princess smiled a bit as she saw the only man who had decided to drop the formalities stand up and stroll straight up to her. As he did, she noticed the harsh glares that he received from the other soldiers. But it seemed as if he didn't notice any of them as he walked up with a large smile on his face.

"Neil."Lelouch greeted with a smile.

"Lelouch!" Neil's grin grew even larger as he gave her a small bow.

Having shared the same bunk, Lelouch had gotten to know the man fairly well over the few weeks she had spent at training.

"Private Dylandy, you can't talk to the Princess like that!" One man hissed at him, he shut up once Lelouch sent a glare his way.

"Everyone, don't act so formal around me. I'm not my father. Please, feel free to call me Lelouch if you want." She announced, noticing that a few immediately relaxed, while others remained steadfast.

"Princess!" Lelouch turned around to see a messenger dressed in a red uniform, clearly one of Cornelia's men.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked, annoyed that she was interrupted.

"Princess Cornelia has ordered you to get your unit prepped. You're being sent out on a mission."

* * *

Kallen was not one to get scared, but in this moment, she was definitely fearing for her life. Flames licked the hulls of the tankers that had been docked in the harbor. The fire glowed bright orange against the sheer darkness of the night sky.

"Isn't glorious? To see Britannia go up in flames. It's amazing." Suzaku remarked with a glint in his eyes, legs dangling over the water slightly. From her angle, Kallen could see the wonder on his face, illuminated by the glow of the embers.

"Why did you do it?" Kallen asked, her mouth unbearably dry. Her tongue felt swollen and she was sick to her stomach.

"Don't you see? They were transporting Knightmares."

"But there were people onboard!"

Although Kallen did spent a lot of time behind the cockpit of her Glasgow, she had never actually killed anyone. To see lives just so callously extinguished, it was sickening.

"So?"

"So? You just killed some innocent sailors!" Kallen couldn't believe how nonchalantly Suzaku was acting. As if he didn't start the fire. As if he didn't just kill hundreds of sailors.

"Did the Britannians care about that when they invaded Japan?" Suzaku snarled, "Did they care if the people they were murdering had families? Did they care if they were women and children? Well, did they?"

"Well, n-no, but…" Kallen stuttered.

"Do you even actually care about Japan?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you'll have to be prepared to kill, or be killed. Change doesn't come easily. Maybe some people will die in the process, but if we ever want to free Japan, we cannot be afraid to kill."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm starting to get into the main plot now. Up to this point, most of the story has basically been build up, but now, Lelouch and Li Xingke are going to start going head to head in the war, and Suzaku is going to be involved as well. I'm really excited for the next few chapters, so it's very likely that I'll have written enough to upload again by next week. **

**Since I think that feedback from you guys is very important, I'm wondering what you guys think Kallen's role should be. Personally, there are so many fics about her that sometimes, I get sick of hearing about her, but for some reason, I think that she could have a very interesting role in this story. There's a lot of possibilites. She could stay on the path she is now, and continue to fight Lelouch, or, through some means, she could end up joining Lelouch. My mind is just fascinated by the possibilities!**

**As usual, feel free to leave any thoughts in either a PM or a review. If you guys want faster updates, it wouldn't hurt to review because every time I receive a new review, I suddenly feel inspired to write. Might just be my review fetish. Either way, leave your thoughts, guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last week! I believe that Chapter 5 was the highest reviewed chapter so far, so I really appreciate it! I had a lot of tests and practice this week, but I decided to type up a chapter just because I was so happy about the reviews. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Lelouch gritted her teeth. She hated failure more than anything else, but there was no other way to describe it. Whoever had perpetrated the attack was a professional, and they had hid their tracks well. Either that, or the flames had engulfed any evidence that had been left behind. That wasn't out of the question either.

By the time they had arrived and put out the fire, the Knightmares were just a charred mess, and the ship itself wasn't any better. In addition, the only sailors that they had managed to save had nothing to say. Nearby civilians they had found had nothing to say either.

Not that she expected them to. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if one of the civilians themselves had perpetrated the attack. After all, the harbor was located in the ghettos, which were full of terrorist sympathizers. Even if any of the people living there knew what had happened, it was unlikely that any of them would tell the Britannians. So, they had no eyewitnesses and no evidence. In short, almost no progress had been made so far.

By now, they had spent one agonizing hour of searching at the harbor. Every time Lelouch had asked for a progress report, the same news came back. Frankly, she was losing her patience.

As if on cue, the communicator rang to life, "We still haven't found anything, Princess."

"Keep looking." Lelouch sighed. If they had not found anything yet, there really wasn't much point in continuing the search. But then again, she would rather die than admit that she couldn't find anything. There had to be something she could take away as proof. Anything. Maybe a scrap of cloth, or a match. Just something that would validate her search.

Her tired eyes scanned the screen in front of her, just as they had done for the past hour. Nothing. Although she was vexed by the fact that she could not find anything, at the same time, there was a strangely calming effect that came from methodically searching the screen in front of her. There was dead silence, save for the quiet rumbling from the landspinners inching her forward.

There was a calm tranquility and Lelouch felt like her mind was free to wander, although currently, she was too focused on her task to daydream.

"Lelouch, can I get an update?" Cornelia's voice blared through the communicator, startling Lelouch, who almost leaped out of her seat in surprise. Taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate, she calmly answered.

"Sorry, Cornelia, nothing." Lelouch replied. Silence. No doubt Cornelia was rubbing her forehead in frustration while Guilford tried to calm her down. Finally, with a hint of exasperation, Cornelia replied softly.

"You sound tired. I'll send Darlton out there to supervise the search. Just return to the base and we'll continue the search tomorrow."

Lelouch nodded. Now that Cornelia had mentioned it, she was actually pretty tired. Some sleep would probably do her good.

"Gino, Jeremiah, keep searching. I'll return to the base."

"Shouldn't we accompany you?" Jeremiah chimed in.

"No, I'll be okay. Keep searching. I expect that you'll find something by tomorrow." Lelouch sighed.

"Yes, my Princess." Came the reply.

Sleepily, she deftly turned her Knightmare around in the direction of the base.

* * *

Schneizel lazily flipped through some documents, keeping a close eye on the television screen. News had come in from Area 11 that an entire of shipment of Knightmares had been destroyed in a fire. At the moment, authorities were unsure what had caused it, but they were suspecting arson.

The terrorists were normally nothing more than a nuisance, but this time, with Area 11 being integral to the war effort, he knew that something had to be done about them this time.

Schneizel's entire body tightened up in alarm as he felt two hands placing themselves on his shoulders, but quickly relaxed once he felt the familiar touch of his assistant. The fingers worked deftly, massaging his shoulders and forcing Schneizel to relax.

"You look stressed. Is something wrong?" Kanon asked, a worried expression on his face.

"It's just this war. I don't like fighting, it wastes time, resources, and lives. Diplomacy with the Chinese Federation would have been so much easier." Schneizel sighed.

"Well then, wouldn't it be in our best interests to end the war as quickly as possible?" Kanon asked, his voice implying something that Schneizel had never even thought about.

"What are you suggesting?" Schneizel asked, although he was sure that he already knew the answer.

"Our intelligence has gathered information about some political division within the Chinese Federation. There is a small faction that is loyal to the Empress and want to restore her to her former power. Obviously, they are heavily opposed to the High Eunuchs." Kanon informed the prince, removing his fingers from Schneizel's shoulders. He instead wrapped his arms around Schneizel's neck and rested his head on the man's shoulders, as if they were lovers.

"Well, do we have contacts with those loyalists?" Schneizel asked, allowing his head to lean on Kanon's brown hair.

"Do you want me to arrange the phone calls now?" Kanon asked, returning to his professional tone and standing up.

Schneizel nodded. He wanted this war to be over sooner rather than later.

"Yes."

* * *

Kallen's eyes widened as she saw the lone Knightmare rolling along through the ghetto. From the special green paint on the customized Gloucester, it was clear that the pilot was no ordinary solder. No, the two horns protruding from the side of the head could only mean one thing. The pilot was a member of the Royal Family.

Beside her, she heard stirring. Suzaku had seen the Knightmare too, and was already on his feet, observing the machine through a pair of binoculars. Their vantage point from the top of an abandoned mall gave them an unobstructed view of the street.

"So, they are full of pride. To roll through the ghettos alone. Your hubris will be your downfall." Suzaku said through gritted teeth as he armed a rocket launcher.

"Wait, you aren't going to shoot them, are you?" Kallen asked hurriedly. They had barely escaped the military who had come to investigate the harbor, and were trying to keep a low profile for the time being, but now, Suzaku seemed to be willing to blow their cover for the chance to shoot a Knightmare.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I?" Suzaku snapped back, taking aim. Kallen sighed and decided not to pursue it anymore. From the short amount of time she had spent with Suzaku, she already knew that arguing with him would be pointless and only would end in his victory.

"For Japan!"

* * *

Lelouch saw the trail of smoke first. Then she heard the yell.

"For Japan!"

Almost in slow motion, her eyes detected the rocket coming straight at her. Frantically, she tried to move out of the rocket's path, but only managed to turn her Knightmare to the side.

The explosion rocked the entire cockpit as red screens flashed from every direction. The alarms blared, informing her of the damage that she could now feel in the form of a shockwave that ran over the length of her body, giving her the sensation of being roughly thrown to the ground. She could feel the wind being knocked out of her, and she choked a bit, gasping for breath. Lelouch could feel gravity taking hold as the entire Knightmare toppled over, having lost one of its legs and an arm.

The screech of metal practically made her ears bleed and her eyes shut tightly in pain. As the cockpit came into contact with the ground, Lelouch felt her momentum taking her along with it. However, the seat belt that she had remembered to lock into place prevented her from dashing her brains out on the concrete street. Instead, she felt the sensation of being struck by a bat right in the chest as her entire body jerked backwards, barely stopped by the seatbelt. Helplessly, she hung from her seat, a throbbing pain in her chest clouding her mind.

As she tentatively opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with the ground. She gave a shaky breath as she realized that she had been mere inches away from death. However, her relief was short lived as she heard footsteps approaching the cockpit.

She grabbed a knife from its hiding spot in her boots and quickly cut off the seatbelt strapping her to her chair. With a thud, she fell to the ground. Thanks to the small amount of training she had done, the fall had not immobilized her like it most likely could have in the past. As quickly as she could, she began crawling, attempting to squeeze out of the small opening that the cockpit had made when it crashed.

However, just as a wave fresh air hit her, she felt a hard blow to the back of her head and the entire world seemed to go black.

* * *

"Lloyd, you know this isn't wise." Cecile sighed as the Earl began ranting on again. She didn't want to nag him, but she had no choice. What he was proposing was unthinkable! She knew that he was never one for titles or labels. In fact, he was one of the few nobles who wasn't inherently racist, but even he had to have enough common sense to know that what he was doing was just crazy!

"He tested off the charts! His scores are exceptional! He is the only one who could possibly pilot a Knightmare as delicate as the Lancelot!" Lloyd retorted, dropping his wrench. He had been trying to make some adjustments to the arm joints of the Lancelot, and had been fine tuning it just as Cecile started nagging him again, as if to illustrate how delicate it really was.

Cecile tentatively nodded.

"I know, but with the political climate the way it is…" She trailed off once she saw that Lloyd had another rant ready for her.

"Politics? Cecile, we're a special research division, politics don't concern us." He said in a tone that was more appropriate for a kindergarten teacher scolding a student.

Cecile sighed, "But there will likely be public outrage about this. You know that the Purists have been making a push lately. An act like this will only anger them."

If she was being perfectly honest, Cecile was scared of them. Although she knew that they were nothing but racist bigots, the fact was that many Purists came from rich noble families that had considerable influence in the courts. It definitely was not a good idea to become enemies with such a powerful faction.

"Well, if one of them could test well enough to pilot the Lancelot, then I would be happy to accommodate them. But the fact of the matter is, there is no one even remotely close to him in ability, Britannian or not." Lloyd replied, flipping through the file one more time, although he already had everything memorized. He had his heart set on this pilot, and was refusing to budge.

"So we're actually going to go through with this?" Cecile asked, realizing that Lloyd was not going to change his mind.

"Of course we are! Prince Schneizel did give us free reign after all." Lloyd stood up and made for the door. With a sigh, Cecile got to her feet and smoothed out her jacket before quickly following him, leaving behind the file of Neil Dylandy.

* * *

The room was swimming in front of her as her vision faded in and out. Lelouch slowly blinked once, then twice, trying to clear up her vision. She tried to sit up, but a piercing pain in the back of her head forced her back to the ground. She tentatively reached her hand behind her head, wincing in pain as one of her finger ghosted over the large bump that had formed back there.

She shook her head from side to side, trying to remember what had just happened. Her Knightmare had crashed, and someone had hit her head with something hard, which explained the bump on her head. The rest was just a haze of darkness and the sensation of being dragged along a road.

Giving up on that futile exercise, she instead decided to observe her surroundings. It was late at night, evidenced by the moonlight that bathed the room in a heavenly pale light. As far as she could tell, the room was basically empty, with plain white walls. Her fingers ran over the cheap carpet that she was lying on, and her eyes darted to the door.

Groggily, she attempted to stand up, only to lose her balance and stumble to the ground. Desperately, she tried to crawl forward, but she couldn't have gotten past a few feet when the door swung open.

A familiar looking face on a familiar looking body stood in the doorway, observing her for a moment, before the figure picked her up easily. Too weak to even stand up, Lelouch could do nothing but to weakly smack at the figure, who laid her down back in a corner of the room.

As the figure turned to leave, Lelouch found her voice.

"Wait, I know you." The figure paused for a second, obviously tense, before turning to face Lelouch.

Lelouch studied the face, desperately trying to match it to an event. Then it hit her.

"You're that Stadtfeld girl, aren't you?"

Wordlessly, the girl shook her head.

"Yes, you are. I remember. You are Kallen Stadtfeld." Lelouch insisted. She knew she was right. There was no way that she could mistake this girl for someone else.

However, the girl continued to shake her head, "No, I am Kallen Kouzuki."

"Kozuki? So you're not Britannian?" Lelouch asked, confused how the daughter of a Britannian noble would have a Japanese last name.

Without a reply, Kallen exited the room. Helplessly, Lelouch watched the door slam close. As she heard the lock click, the situation dawned on her. She was a prisoner.

For the first time, she registered the fact that she was all alone, sitting in a dirty room that was probably unknown to Britannia. She had been effectively wiped off the face of the earth, if Britannia was even aware that she was missing, which she doubted.

How could she have been so stupid? Of course she should have brought her Knights along. She had been overconfident, and now, she was paying the price.

Somewhere, her mind came to the realization that she may never see Nunally ever again. Clovis, Euphemia, Odysseus, or even Schneizel. She may never see any of them ever again. It was all very possible that she was going to be shot in the back of the head, left to die in a dumpster where rats and flies would maul her body beyond recognition.

Of course, she could attempt an escape, but she knew it was just wishful thinking. She could barely stand, much less make it to the other end of the room. How could she even think about escape? No, she was in a hopeless position, completely at the mercy of her captors.

For all of her life, she had always been the one in control. Now that she realized that the situation was completely out of her hands, Lelouch lost all hope. She didn't even try to hold back the tears that were streaming down her face, cutting clean lines down her face that was marred with dust and dirt and blood.

* * *

Gino wiped a bead of sweat off of his brow. His Tristan had a superior cooling system, but while it was being repaired, he had to make do with a standard issued Sutherland, which was a less impressive piece of equipment. Not that he minded too much.

For all of his life, he had been fascinated with piloting. He would never forget the first time that he had touched a Knightmare. It had been back when the Glasgow was just introduced. He had attended a demonstration in Pendragon with his father. From the moment that he touched the controls, he had known that he was going to be a pilot.

Of course, being the son of a noble family, his parents didn't see the same destiny. Nor did they understand his love for their maid. That was why he had run away from home to join the military. In the cockpit of a Knightmare, he felt more at home and at peace than he could ever feel in an office. Yes, the battlefield was really the only place for him.

He looked at Jeremiah, who looked forward with the same stoic expression that he always wore, and Gino wondered why the man chose to follow the Princess.

Jeremiah felt Gino's gaze on him, but he continued to look forward, trying to maintain the same expression. It's not that he hated the boy. Gino got on his nerves sometimes, but he didn't really have anything bad to say about the fellow Knight. However, he needed to keep an air of professionalism. He was the protector of Princess Lelouch. He had sworn to Lady Marianne that he would protect the Princess, and he refused to fail in his duty.

"Where is Lelouch?" Cornelia asked, tapping her foot impatiently as she saw Gino and Jeremiah walking down the hall, still in their Knight uniforms. Gino was in the process of unzipping his jacket, as was Jeremiah. However, both immediately stopped in their tracks as they heard Cornelia's words, looks of confusion planted on their faces.

"Wait, she hasn't returned to the base yet?" Jeremiah asked.

"No. I assumed that she decided to disobey my orders and kept searching." Cornelia replied. By the way that the two Knights exchanged a worried look, she knew something was wrong.

"She told us to stay behind and continue the search." Gino added. He was not the brightest man, but even he knew what his words meant. It meant that they had left Lelouch, a Britannian Princess, alone in a particularly hostile and unstable area, completely at the mercy of terrorists. And now, she was missing, which meant only one thing.

"Wait, so the Princess was in the ghettos alone?" Cornelia asked, anger rising in her voice.

"Oh my God." Jeremiah's eyes widened and he gave a look of disbelief. He and Gino looked at each other for a moment before they turned around and dashed towards the hanger.

"Cornelia! I need to have a word with you!" Odysseus shouted as he walked up behind his sister. He had thought about Lelouch's words earlier, and he had made his decision. He was going to take control, no matter if Cornelia protested. It was his duty. He was the First Prince, not her, and he deserved and would demand her obedience.

"Not now!" Cornelia snarled in response, waving him off. However, her mood immediately changed to one of fear as Odysseus quickly grabbed her hand in a bone crushing grip.

"Don't wave me off! I am the First Prince, and you will listen to me!" Odysseus snapped in response, not even flinching as Cornelia struggled to get out of his grasp.

"We don't have time for this!" Cornelia protested, but Odysseus would have none of it.

"You'll have to make time! I'm done taking orders from you!"

"No! You don't understand! Lelouch is…" Cornelia trailed off, not wanting to provoke Odysseus any more.

"Lelouch is what?" Odysseus asked, loosening his grip a little.

"She's missing." Cornelia finished. Odysseus' face softened and he immediately released her, allowing her to fall onto the floor, nursing her wrist.

"What do you mean she's missing?" He asked tentatively, not even wanting to know the details.

"She disappeared in the ghettos. As far as we know, it's likely that she was captured by terrorists."

"Oh God." Odysseus whispered.

"What should we do?" Cornelia asked.

As much as he didn't want to do it, Odysseus knew that if there was anyone who would know what to do in this situation, it was his brother.

"Get Schneizel on the phone."

* * *

Schneizel sat back to admire his handiwork. He had offered Li Xingke an extremely enticing offer. Now all he had to do was to wait for the response. Of course, he knew that the answer would be yes. It always was.

Schneizel didn't want to brag, but he was easily the best negotiator that Britannia had. It wasn't hard to manipulate people once one knew how the human mind worked. And he had a better understanding than most. Humans were driven by their greed and fear, and once one had a way to appeal to those desires, the negotiations were over.

Either he would give his enemies a chance to become rich, or he would strike enough fear into their hearts to force them to surrender. That's how it always went. His enemies had yet to find anything that could ever turn the tables on him. What could they find? Britannia had the largest army in the world, so military force was never a threat and Schneizel was both the Prime Minister and a prince, so he was never lacking money. In short, there was really no way to control him.

"Prince Schneizel, Princess Cornelia's on the phone. She says it's urgent." Kanon informed the prince who beckoned for the phone. Confidently, he grasped the receiver, leaning back into his chair.

"Hello Cornelia, what is it this time?" Schneizel asked in a warm voice, still beaming from his conversation with Li Xingke.

"Lelouch is missing."

With those words, Schneizel's state of bliss was shattered and his back immediately straightened.

"What? How did that happen?" Schneizel demanded. When he had said that there was really no way to control him, he had been referring to the fact that only one person had ever managed to bend his will. That person was Lelouch. And now she was missing?

"She went missing in the ghettos. We don't know what's going on right now. There's a chance that she was kidnapped by terrorists. We've had some trouble with that lately." Cornelia said with a surprisingly calm voice, given that she was panicking on the inside.

With a distraught expression, Schneizel placed his hand over his eyes, "Do you have any idea what actually happened?"

"We found her Knightmare. It looked like it had been hit by a rocket launcher. We searched the cockpit, but it was empty. At least we know that she isn't dead yet."

Schneizel sat back to digest the information that had just come in. She may have been his weakness, but he wasn't about to let that affect their plans. Britannia could not afford to look weak. They had to continue on with the invasion, with or without Lelouch.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. Send some men to go look for her, but don't let this information get out. No one else has to know what has happened, especially not the public or the Chinese Federation. They'll take it as a sign of weakness."

"Okay." Cornelia responded, obviously still in shock herself.

"We have to carry on as if she was still here. It's our only choice until we can find her." Schneizel said somberly, trying not to think of the worst case situation. While it would be entirely possible to cover up the true events that lead up to her death if it came to that, he sincerely hoped that it would never come to that.

* * *

"Li, what are you going to do?" Zhou Xianglin asked. The phone call had come hours ago, but it was still fresh in their minds.

"If you work with us, we will ensure that the Empress is restored to power." Li Xingke repeated. That was what Schneizel had promised.

"Do you think that they can be trusted?" Zhou asked.

Li shook his head.

"No, I know that they cannot be trusted. But if they are telling the truth, then this is makes our plans more realistic."

Did he really have a choice but to trust them though? This was it, their only chance to restore the Empress to power. For years, they had been slowly planning for some way to depose the Eunuchs, but no chance had ever come. And now, that chance was being offered up on a plate.

While he was debating the decision in his head, in his heart, he knew that there was only one choice he could make. His loyalty was to the Empress, and he would do anything for her. Even if it meant that he would have to work with Britannia.

"The ultimate decision rests with you Li. Whatever you decide to do, I will follow you." Zhou said, and Li knew that he had to take the offer, despite the risk.

"Thank you Zhou."

Just as Zhou was about to dismiss herself, the phone rang. The two stared at it for a second before Li tentatively reached to pick up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Li, this is Suzaku."

"Suzaku, what do you need?"

"I just thought that you would like to know that I have Princess Lelouch in captivity."

Li's eyes widened at what he had just heard. His ears had to be deceiving him, right? There was no way that he had heard correctly. How would have a ragtag army of terrorists kidnapped a Britannian Princess?

"What did you just say?"

"I have Princess Lelouch in captivity."

So his ears weren't lying.

"Thank you for informing me." Li managed.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that I would be able to keep her hidden. There are too many people looking for her right now in Japan."

This was his chance to ensure Schneizel's loyalty to the plan. All of a sudden, the plan wasn't risky. If he had the Princess as a hostage, Schneizel would not be able to betray him, unless he wanted Lelouch to die.

"Then we'll hide her here. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

* * *

**I know that you guys might have been expecting Lelouch to go up against Li Xingke right away, but I think that their relationship could be much more interesting. I hope you guys will enjoy the next few chapters, even though Lelouch won't really be on the front lines. Well, not for Britannia, at least. Just warning you, from this point on, Odysseus will be OOC and much more aggressive than he was in the anime. **

**As usual, any and all feedback, whether in a review or a PM would be greatly appreciated. I've said it before, but reviews drive me to keep writing, especially now, when I don't have many free hours during the week. Again, I would really appreciate any reviews and I hope that you will continue to enjoy this story, or that you stick around, even if it isn't your cup of tea. Hopefully, I'll have another chapter up by next week. Until then, feel free to review this story and leave your thoughts!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I didn't update last week, but I've been really busy since my first volleyball tournament of the season is coming up, and that is my priority for now. Also, I was busy with some political campaigning, and now that my friend has won his election, I'll probably be busy interning for him, so unfortunately, that means that the updates are probably going to slow down. But, as always, your reviews convinced to stay up extra late just to type up another chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Ethereal pillows, billowing sheets that engulfed her in a cloud of warmth, a hand stuffed mattress that provided the best arch support in all of Britannia. She had almost forgotten how nice her bed was. After living on base for a few weeks, a soft bed was a welcome substitution. On the base, she would endlessly toss and turn all throughout the night. At home, she would not stir even once during the night. Not only was her bed more comfortable, but it also distinctly reminded her of home.

Home. That was somewhere she had not been in too long. Home meant Nunally, her mother, and the Aeries Villa. Home meant safety, and a carefree life. No stress, no worries. Life was easy, and maybe even a little bit boring. But strangely, she liked it. She wanted stability and an easy life. Didn't everyone? That was what she was fighting for, wasn't it? All she wanted was a unified world where she and Nunally could live together in peace. She could inherit the throne, and find some pleasant noble to marry. Then all she would have to worry about was how to spend the rest of her days.

But before that could happen, she had to find a way to unify the world, be it through diplomacy or through war. She would get started eventually, but her bed was like a prison cell, refusing to let it leave its warmth and comfort.

Lelouch's eyes suddenly snapped open as she realized that something was wrong. There was no way that she was back in her bed. No, her last memory was passing out in a dirty bedroom in the ghettos. Now she was back in a clean bed in her room? Something was very wrong.

She sat up at alert, looking around the room she was in. It was a spacious room with wooden walls and granite floors. The mahogany walls were adorned with distinctly Chinese carvings, and opened up into a large window that comprised an entire wall of the room, a far cry from her room, with its distinctly Britannian design and modern building materials. Wherever she was, it definitely wasn't her bedroom.

"Mistress, are you awake?" A soft voice asked. A short girl with a short black hair in an expensive looking red silk Chinese dress was standing in the doorway with a puzzled expression. Instantly, Lelouch quickly pulled up her covers, realizing that she was naked, lying in some strange bed in some strange building.

"Who are you?" She asked with a shaky breath. The fact that the woman had a foreign face that was definitely not Britannian did not help matters. Lelouch was not racist or xenophobic, but the fact that she was looking at an unfamiliar face in an unfamiliar setting made her extremely unsettled.

"I'm a servant of the Forbidden City." The woman replied, as if there was nothing strange about it. Of course, why would it be strange? After all, the woman worked here every day. Obviously, she would not find anything strange about it. Disregarding Lelouch's shocked expression, she scurried in with a pile of fabrics.

"Your clothes were taken to be cleaned. Please use these instead." The servant said, leaving them at the foot of the bed and running out after quickly bowing. In shock, Lelouch could do nothing but gape at the clothes, letting various thoughts run through her head.

First and foremost, how did she arrive in the Chinese Federation? She was ambushed by Elevens, so why was the Chinese Federation? Second, why was she not being kept behind some sort of cell? Why was she even still alive?

Dizzy from the thoughts racing through her head and still groggily trying to recall the events of the past few days, Lelouch sat in silence. Slowly, she crawled out of the sheets to the foot of the bed. Quickly she slipped on the clothes that had been provided for her. She ran an appreciative finger over the purple silk of the floral Chinese dress she had been provided with. While she was thankful for the change of clothes, she was also very wary. After all, it wasn't normal for her to suddenly wake up in the Forbidden City.

"Um, Mistress, breakfast is being served. I've been instructed to lead you to the dining hall." The servant had returned, just as Lelouch finished adjusting the dress.

Nodding slowly, she nervously followed the woman down a series of halls, trying to think of a rational explanation. Obviously, she had been transported to the Chinese Federation, but by whom, and for what reason?

The woman stopped at the end of a long passageway, allowing Lelouch a few moments to catch up.

"The others have already begun breakfast." The woman said, moving to the side so that Lelouch could walk through.

Nodding, Lelouch calmly walked into a large dining room. The room itself, if you could call it that, was furnished by one large table in the middle with wooden chairs surrounding it on all sides. There were no walls, only four large columns that supported the cavernous roof, allowing an unobstructed view of most of Luoyang.

As she strode in, she could instantly feel several pairs of eyes fixated on her figure. The table was only occupied by a few people, and all eyes were on her. Uncomfortably, she silently took a seat, noticing that the room had gone dead silent.

"Did you enjoy your sleep?" Surprisingly, the person who had spoke first was a small white haired girl. As Lelouch looked closer, she realized that it had been in fact, the Empress that had just spoken.

"Yes." Lelouch replied softly, studying the faces around her. Kallen Stadtfeld, no Kallen Kozuki was seated across from her, dressed in a blue Chinese Dress. The Empress was sitting at the head of the table, along with a black haired girl that Lelouch did not recognize. At the other end of the table, a young man with black hair stared warily at her, before deciding to focus on his breakfast.

"Kallen, have you enjoyed your stay so far?" The Empress continued.

"Yes, very much so. Thank you." Came the quick reply. Kallen was visibly nervous and constantly glanced at Lelouch, quickly unnerving the Princess.

"Do you know how much longer you will be staying here?" The black haired girl was the one to speak this time.

Deciding to let the two talk, Lelouch decided to focus on her breakfast. A bowl of congee stared back at her, along with a cup of tea. She quickly glanced around the table, noticing that everyone else was consuming the same breakfast. Tentatively, she spooned a small amount of the rice porridge and blew on it a few times before deciding to stick it in her mouth.

"I'll be staying here until the Princess leaves." Kallen quickly replied once more.

After hearing herself mentioned, Lelouch decided to speak up, "What am I doing here?"

The black haired man smiled, "Well what do you think? You're a prisoner."

Lelouch was confused for a second. After all, prisoners were usually kept behind bars with guards confining them. However, as far as she could tell, she was free to roam the Forbidden City. No, it definitely didn't feel like she was a prisoner.

"I don't feel like a prisoner."

The black haired man smiled, "Well, you're trapped in a cage, albeit, a luxurious cage, but a cage nonetheless. You will stay here and you will not be permitted to leave, except for special occasions."

Lelouch understood now. They were keeping her as a hostage. It made sense. As long as she was here in the Forbidden City, Britannia would be loath to invade Luoyang. But at the same time, that meant that Britannia would also attempt to stage rescue missions. At least, she hoped it did.

She really had no way of knowing if Britannia even had any idea that she was missing, much less where she was being held. Still, at some point, they had to discover the truth, right? Schneizel was a master at spinning tales and swaying public opinion. There was no doubt that he could find a way to cover up her kidnapping and possible death, but he had to care enough to try and look for her, or she hoped.

"Furthermore, to assure that you will not try to escape, or try to contact the outside world, you will be accompanying the Empress at all times with an armed escort."

As he mentioned that, Lelouch quickly glanced around and noticed that there were several guards keeping watch on the outskirts of the room. They were probably going to be omnipresent. After all, their job was to protect the Empress. She looked at the black haired man, studying his features.

He was dressed in what appeared to be officer garb, all in royal blue. He had a relatively amicable expression on his face, but his eyes were constantly shifting and searching for danger, clearly the sign of a solder. In addition, his face, however pale and young it looked, was definitely hiding layers of pain and war experience. He looked every part the military man.

"I see. And are you a part of this escort?" Lelouch asked.

The man shook his head, "No, I'm far too busy with commanding the military."

Lelouch's eyes widened. So the man sitting before her was Li Xingke after all. His appearance was nothing like what she had expected. She had always imagined Li Xingke to be a grizzled war veteran, but instead, a young and dashing officer was sitting in front of her. Although Britannia had spies almost everywhere, they had still never found a way to identify Li Xingke, mostly because his meteoric rise through the Chinese Federation had not left many photographic records for Britannia to study.

"So why go through all this trouble? Why not just keep me in that room back in Area 11?"

Li Xingke's lips turned upward even more in a large smile, "Please, and keep a lovely woman like you out of the court? I think that you would be good for appearances. You are essentially a diplomat of Britannia, and for the most part, you will be treated like one."

Although she knew that he had been joking, Lelouch could not help but blush at his compliment of sorts.

With a smile, Li Xingke returned to his tea, having decided that it had cooled sufficiently. As he carefully sipped the tea, he couldn't help but feel that lately, it had tasted much better than usual.

* * *

"Explain to me why I shouldn't have you two executed right now?" Cornelia roared at the two Knights. Gino immediately recoiled at the caustic words while Jeremiah hung his head in disgrace. Although the words stung, nothing hurt Jeremiah more than the fact that the Princess had gone missing on their watch.

Lady Marianne had entrusted him with the honor of protecting Princess Lelouch, and he had failed. Cornelia's words may have been biting and harsh, but nothing was worse than the pain of knowing that he alone had made a mistake and that he alone was responsible for the missing princess.

They had not told Lady Marianne yet that Lelouch was missing. In fact, beyond the current occupants of the room, no one knew of the Princess' disappearance. However, the distraught look that he imagined would come over Lady Marianne's face in his dreams haunted him day and night. He would never be able to face her ever again, that is, if she ever let him face her ever again.

"Because of you, the Princess is missing! And you call yourselves her Knights?" Cornelia continued on her diatribe, still full of venom to spew at the two incompetent fools sitting before her.

"Cornelia, that's enough." Schneizel chided from his seat. As soon as he had heard the news, he rushed out to Area 11 within days. He had to talk in person. The phone was not secure, and they could not afford to let any word get out. So, under the pretense that there were some military checkups that he had to do, Schneizel rushed out to Area Eleven.

"That's enough? Isn't she your sister too?" Cornelia asked incredulously.

"Schneizel's right. Lelouch herself ordered them to stay and continue searching. They were merely following orders." Odysseus added from his position against the wall. He was still distraught about Lelouch's disappearance as well, but he tried to remain level headed and think rationally, unlike his sister, who was currently being fueled by emotion.

If Lelouch had taught him anything, it was that he had to stay calm and think things through, no matter the situation. Still, it didn't mean that he wasn't worried. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Inside, he was freaking out, but for Lelouch's sake, he put up a strong front. In his heart, he knew that would be the only way that they could ever hope to find her.

"Odysseus? I thought that you loved her!" Cornelia questioned, shocked that the man who had supposedly started the war for Lelouch's sake was so willing to forgive the two.

"I do, but killing these two won't bring her back. We have to remain level headed and keep this a secret." Odysseus said.

Schneizel nodded in agreement, "The worst thing we can do now is to panic and let this news get out. It is imperative that as few people as possible know the truth. We are in a precarious situation. All we can do is to keep the media away and try and keep the Chinese Federation at bay."

He turned to the two knights, "That's why I am assigning you two to search for Lelouch. It would be best if you two did it so we wouldn't have to involve anyone else."

* * *

"What? The Prince left last week?" Lloyd asked incredulously. Next to him, Cecile discreetly sighed in relief. She had been nervous about Lloyd's plan, and now, the Prince had read her mind and left the country.

Somehow, she had managed to convince him that it would be best to wait a few days a conduct a few more tests before requesting for a pilot. Personally, she had actually found that to be a smart decision, as they had already found a few things to correct, but Lloyd being Lloyd wanted to conduct live testing as soon as possible. Eventually, she found that she could not stall him any longer, and he had dragged her over to Prince Schneizel's office.

"See Cecile? I told that we shouldn't drag our feet with our transfer request." Lloyd said with a disapproving shake of his head. He had never been one to take his time, and he was eager to rush out the Lancelot to combat situations within a month, if at all possible.

"Well, maybe it was for the best. Now we'll just have to review more pilots until the Prince returns." Cecile said before making a move to leave. However, almost immediately, Lloyd grabbed her arm.

With wide eyes, he shook his head, "Are you crazy? I've already told you, he's the one. We'll just have to make a quick call."

* * *

Lelouch awkwardly watched the black haired girl, Kaguya, talk nonstop while walking with the Empress through the gardens of the Forbidden City. She had to admit, although they were different, the Chinese gardens were beautiful, in their own way.

They were walking on a stone bridge with a small brook running underneath it. Aside from Kaguya's talking, the gardens were calm and tranquil. The grass was green, and the small pond that the brook emptied into was extremely still, almost like a perfect pane of glass. The chirping of small birds could be heard, and all in all, Lelouch felt relaxed for the first time in a long time.

The first few days had gone by rather uncomfortably. Lelouch had once been a Princess, but she had never been as restricted as the Empress was. Almost every moment of her life was planned out, to the minute. Worst of all, Lelouch had to come along for the ride, which was slowly becoming more and more enjoyable as the days went by, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

She was still uneasy about the fact that she was a prisoner, but she wouldn't deny that captivity was a liberating experience, as paradoxical as that seemed. For some reason, she found the fact that the Empress had a carefully planned life to be relaxing, in its own way. In here, she had no worries, and no responsibilities. It was almost as if she had gone back to the days before her eighteenth birthday, back when she was free to spend her days with Nunally and her mother in relative peace.

"So, you're a Princess, huh?" Lelouch stopped in surprise as she realized that Kaguya had begun talking to her. The escort stopped right behind her, and she was once again reminded of the fact that she was still trapped in a cage, no matter how relaxing of a cage it was.

"Yes, I'm Princess Lelouch vi Britannia, Seventeenth in line to the throne." Lelouch reeled off, having that line committed to memory.

"Huh, so, are there any hot guys in Britannia?" The girl asked.

Lelouch's eyes widened at the bluntness of that question. The past week, Kaguya had refrained from really talking to anyone but the Empress. The few times that she had actually talked to Lelouch, she usually did so with the grace and courtly air that was to be expected by the representative of a political group. But now, her tone was entirely different, almost like that of a gossiping woman at the local salon.

"Say, Tianzi, weren't you engaged to some Britannian hottie?" Kaguya asked a flustered Empress, already going to another topic. The Empress stammered, obviously uncomfortable discussing the topic.

"Odysseus is my brother, not some hottie." Lelouch interrupted coldly, although she wasn't sure why she did so in that way.

"All I'm saying is that he didn't look half bad in the photos I saw of him. Plus, he looks like he hits the gym every day! You would've been one lucky girl, Tianzi." Kaguya said, almost like a schoolgirl describing some teen idol.

"Well, um, I don't think I was really ready for marriage." Tianzi whispered, but Kaguya ignored her.

"Still, he backed out for some other girl from what I heard. I bet she was a total slut or something." Kaguya continued on.

"That other girl was me." Lelouch said through gritted teeth, leading to an awkward silence.

"Heh, well, you know that I was just kidding around." Kaguya said with a small laugh.

"It's fine." Lelouch replied, although her tone said that it was anything but. With an awkward laugh, Kaguya decided that now would be as good a time as ever to stop talking.

Sensing the tension evident in the air, Tianzi decided to break the silence.

"So, how is Britannia?" She asked softly.

Lelouch looked at the Empress with confusion, "Haven't you ever been there?"

The girl shook her head, "I've never been outside the Forbidden City."

"Really?"

"The Eunuchs have kept her locked up here." Kaguya added, suddenly serious.

"Ah! Don't say that kind of thing. They'll hear you!" Tianzi squealed.

"So what? It's the truth. It's not fair. We should be out in the real world together, meeting a ton of hot guys." Kaguya said.

As the Empress nervously stuttered in response, Lelouch could not help but be reminded of Nunally. Kaguya was a loud and blunt girl, but Lelouch could not help but be entertained by her. The girl was almost like a female version of Clovis, who had endlessly entertained her back in their youth. To be honest, the days were already flying by in her time at the Forbidden City. Had it really already been a week? The days had already melted together, giving the impression of the passing of merely a day or two. She was already thinking less and less about the war, politics, or Britannia.

* * *

Schneizel was more stressed than usual, if that was even possible. First the issue with the war, now this! He was definitely going to go bald within a few years if things did not change. Lelouch had been missing for well over two weeks, and they had made absolutely no progress. Jeremiah and Gino had gone around questioning some civilians in the immediate area, making sure not to reveal too many details, but the populace had been unwilling to offer much help. At this point, he would trade anything for just a scrap of information.

The only good thing that had come from the last two weeks was the fact that Lloyd had reported in with a status update about the Lancelot. Apparently, they were making stellar progress, and now they just needed a test pilot. They had chosen an Honorary Britannian by the name of Neil Dylandy. He couldn't say that he truly appreciated the choice, but at least it meant that they were making good progress. He had quickly approved the transfer request and was rewarded with the promise that Lancelot would be ready for combat soon.

Still, despite the shred of good news, the situation before him was still one that most mortal men would balk at.

"Prince, you need to relax for a little bit. Princess Lelouch is a resourceful woman. She will find a way to contact you. Until then, you need to focus on the deal with the Chinese Federation Loyalists. They are the key to ending this war early." Kanon chided while massaging the prince's shoulders.

"Lelouch may be resourceful, but she's never been in any situation like this before. And if the media gets word that she is missing, the E.U. will no doubt try to take advantage of our perceived weakness. We cannot afford to fight a war on two fronts. Something like that would take too much of a toll on our army and economy. I can't afford to relax now, not when the fate of Britannia rests on my shoulders." Schneizel replied.

Before Kanon could respond, the phone began ringing. Schneizel snatched up the receiver and placed it against his ear.

"Schneizel." Came Li's voice.

"Li, what do you want?" Schneizel asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, I heard from a little birdie that you have a missing princess." Li replied, completely at ease.

Schneizel's entire body froze up, "What? Who told you that?"

"That's not important. What's important is that I can return her to you. That is, if you follow certain conditions." Li said with a smile. He held all of the chips, and he knew it.

"What do you want?" Schneizel grumbled.

"Nothing much. All I want is for you to ensure the success of our coup. The High Eunuchs cannot be left in charge of this country."

As he said that, the gears in Schneizel's brain began turning. He had already made that sort of offer, although all he had done was to ensure their cooperation if the coup succeeded. Now Li wanted him to pledge his aid in the actual coup.

Schneizel had originally planned to invade the Chinese Federation after the coup took place, and create a consulate in the Chinese Federation so that Britannia would be able to support and control the new government, that is, if Li succeeded. However, now Li was asking for something completely different.

Still, aiding them could turn out to be beneficial in the future. Of the other two superpowers, Schneizel knew that the E.U. was of bigger concern. However, if the Chinese Federation became an ally of Britannia…

After a pause, Schneizel decided to respond, "Well, that's something we can both agree on."

* * *

"We need to make our move now!" Hong Gu exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. In response, several men shot up from their seats and began engaging in a shouting match. Although all the men present were all Loyalists, that didn't mean that they didn't have differing opinions.

"Enough!" Zhou Xianglin yelled, silencing the crowd. As a woman, she was often mistreated by sexist officers, but as far as the Loyalist group went, they knew that she was to be respected, and to be feared. Besides Li Xingke, she was regarded as the most skilled commander in the Chinese Federation, and was treated as such.

"Thank you Zhou. As you know, we have had the Princess captive here for about two weeks. So far, we had not contacted Britannia, which has tried to cover up the fact that she is missing. However, I have just contacted Prince Schneizel, and I have just secured some added military support. "

As Li said that, some murmurs of approval came from the rest of the assembled officers.

"But what if Zhao Yun finds out? He's already been suspicious of us, and if he discovers that we have talked to Britannia, our plan is ruined. Why did you go and risk the entire operation?" One officer asked.

Li Xingke stood up from his seat.

"Men! The time to act is now. The Britannian wind is now behind us, and will carry us forth to victory! The tyrannical High Eunuchs have ruled this country far enough. Look where their leadership has gotten us? A starving population, economic downturn, and now, a war! The only way that the Chinese Federation can ever be restored to glory is with the restoration of the power of the Empress! That is why we sit idly by while our country falls apart! Our chance is now, and we must not waste it! As soon as the Britannian reinforcements arrive, we will make our move. Long live the Chinese Federation!"

* * *

"Is Commander Li present?" Lelouch looked at the Chinese man with black hair who had entered the gardens. Once again, they were taking a stroll, for what had to be the third day in a row. Or was it four? All of the days were nothing more than one giant block of memory to her, without distinction through the various days. Not that she was complaining. No, to the contrary, she loved the feeling. She was wonderfully relaxed and, in all honesty, she could care less about being rescued.

"No, is it something wrong?" Kaguya asked, suddenly in a professional tone. Lelouch stared at the girl, marveling at her suddenly much more mature tone and appearance.

The man shook his head, "Eh, no, we have some important business to discuss, however." Lelouch quickly looked over the man. His name was Zhuge Dan, and he was one of Li Xingke's subordinates that worked around the Forbidden City, as she often saw him scurry around. From what she heard from maids, it seemed that he was an ambitious young officer who was a descendent of the great Zhuge Liang himself.

However, so far, Zhuge Dan had not shown the same intelligence and ingenuity that his ancestor possessed, and thus, was still a subordinate of Li Xingke. He was definitely eager to prove himself, and, although he was still an ally of Li Xingke, it was also clear that he was a bit envious of Li's success.

"Ah, Zhuge, why are you here?" All four turned to see Li Xingke approaching with a large smile. Obviously, Li did not possess the same envious feelings towards Zhuge Dan, as his large smile told.

"Commander, we have some urgent news! It seems that Britannia has suddenly stopped their offensive. Our spies have indicated that all Britannian forces have suddenly ceased movement in Area 11." Zhuge said with a quick salute.

"I know, Zhuge." Li responded with a quick glance at Lelouch.

"Thank you. If you were not so easy to capture, our plans would have been ruined." He informed Lelouch.

"What plans?" Lelouch demanded to know.

Li shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I suppose there's no harm in letting you know."

"Commander! You can't possibly let her know!" Zhuge exclaimed, but a glare from Li shut him up.

"Without her, our plan would not be in place to succeed. She does have a right to know."

Zhuge opened his mouth to protest once again, but decided to drop it once he realized that Li was not going to listen to him.

"Well?" Lelouch asked impatiently.

"We have plotted to restore the Empress back to power and along with Britannian forces, overthrow the tyrannical High Eunuchs."

"So you are attempting a coup?" Lelouch asked, amazed that they would actually trust her with such an important plan. However, she had already observed from her time with the Empress that some factions had developed within the Imperial Court. The High Eunuchs and their supporters were in favor of keeping the Empress from making important decisions, while a smaller group of Loyalists were currently lobbying for the restoration of some of the Empress' powers.

It now seemed that Li was a part of the Loyalist group, and had been planning to overthrow the High Eunuchs. It made her captivity apparent to her once again. She had been used as a bargaining chip by Li, in exchange for military support.

"Yes, and thanks to you, it is all the more likely that we can succeed." Li replied with a smile.

"Commander!" Li turned to see several guards walk in, following a man with long black hair in a ponytail and dressed completely in silver armor.

"What is it, Yun?" Li asked with a tone of annoyance.

"The High Eunuchs have requested the presence of the Princess in the court." Yun replied.

"Fine. I'll come along as well."

"Sorry, but they have specifically requested that the Princess come alone." Yun said with the threat made apparent when two guards placed their hands on their swords.

* * *

"Lord Jeremiah, Lord Gino, this is your chance." Schneizel said to the knights sitting in Lelouch's office. While he was Area Eleven, Schneizel had decided to use Lelouch's office in lieu of creating a new one.

"What do you need us to do, my Prince?" Jeremiah asked eagerly, relieved that Princess Lelouch was still alive, and also excited for his chance for redemption.

"We will be smuggling you two, along with some other men from the Special Research Division, into the Chinese Federation, where you will aid in the coup of the current government. You will be working with Li Xingke, who has knowledge of the location of Princess Lelouch. From what we know, it is very likely that she is being held in the Forbidden City. We want you two to follow Li's orders, but at the same time, your main priority should be to ascertain the location of Princess Lelouch, and if possible, to stage a rescue." Schneizel informed the two who nodded in understanding.

"We will not fail, my Prince." The two said in unison.

* * *

"Have you had a chance to talk to Li Xingke?" The Eunuch questioned. Lelouch was sitting in a chair, surrounded by all eight Eunuchs at once. She was in what she had come to know was the throne room. In addition to the gardens, she usually spent the most time in here, sitting next to the Empress, who was supposed to make important decisions.

However, in reality, most decisions were made through constant bullying and manipulation by the Eunuchs. It was clear that Tianzi wasn't ready to lead yet, and the men were simply taking advantage of her. It made her livid. Watching the girl get pushed around by eight scheming men just made her blood boil. She could honestly say that, after the last two weeks, she understood why Li Xingke was staging a coup.

Still, there was nothing she could do about it at the time being. The truth of the matter was, she was nothing more than a prisoner, and they were eight of the most powerful men in the Chinese Federation. Until Li Xingke was ready to carry out his plan, which would take a few more weeks from the sound of it, she was powerless to do anything but to try and answer their questions.

"No." Lelouch lied easily.

"Really? He did personally appoint himself to be your caretaker." One whispered. Lelouch's eyebrows arched a bit at that stray comment.

"Well, I've been under constant surveillance. I don't have many chances to talk to him." Lelouch remarked casually. She knew from constant lying that the little details made the lie that much more believable. However, her answer wasn't far from the truth. Over the past few weeks, she had not had much of a chance to speak to Li Xingke. The man always seemed busy with something, and was often outside of the Forbidden City all day, which meant that she rarely talked to him.

One laughed in response, and Lelouch suddenly stiffened. Something was not right.

"We know you're lying." Lelouch's heart stopped. How could they have known? She had not done anything to give away the fact that she had been lying.

"You see, we've suspected that Li has been working towards his own agenda. The spy we planted only served to justify our suspicions. There's no point in lying. Now, what did he tell you about his plans?"

So they had a spy? She had to find a way to tell Li about this, if he didn't know yet. But first, she had to get out of this interrogation alive.

Without even flinching, Lelouch coolly answered, although her heart was beating at a million miles an hour.

"Like I said, nothing."

The man smiled, "All right. I see that you are going to be difficult. But don't worry, we will not mistreat you for that. All we will do is make sure that you are telling the truth. Yun!" The man from before quickly bowed at the mention of his name.

"Yes, my lord?"

"You are going to be the Princess' constant companion. I don't want her to ever be out of your sight. It is your responsibility to watch her and report anything suspicious."

"Yes, my lord." The man bowed and stepped up right to Lelouch's side.

And just like that, the oppressive of bars of the cage were made evident to Lelouch once again.

* * *

"What is this meeting about?" Schneizel asked, tentatively taking a seat at the head of the table. Kanon had rushed up to him and informed him about the emergency not ten minutes ago, and he had to rush just to make it to the room on time.

"Thank you for coming Prince. We're discussing the recent behavior of Prince Odysseus." Guilford said, nodding at Schneizel. Apparently, he was the one who was moderating the meeting, but, as Schneizel knew too well, Guilford's appearance only confirmed his suspicion that Cornelia was the one who had actually called this meeting to order.

He should have known. From what Cornelia had told him privately, it seemed that Odysseus had effectively seized control from her on the base. No doubt she was feeling threatened by him. And if she was feeling threatened, he had no doubt that she would take action against him. Most members of the Royal Family did not get along well, and Cornelia and Odysseus were no exceptions.

He had to give it to Odysseus though. Never had he thought that his older brother, the Mediocre Prince himself, would usurp Cornelia's command and drive her to such extreme measures, but he was completely proven wrong. While he did applaud his brother's newfound audacity, he was also concerned.

Cornelia had never been threatened quite like this before. For all her life, she had always gotten her way and never took any orders from anyone but the Emperor. It would be interesting to see how she would respond to this, but for Odysseus, it would be nothing but trouble. Schneizel had seen glimpses of his sister's legendary temper, and he could not imagine what kind of actions could be fueled by such intense emotions.

"What about it?" Schneizel asked calmly, curious as to where this discussion would go.

"Well, initially, we believed that he would be willing to step down from the throne. However, now, we have reports from some eyewitnesses that Odysseus has been exhibiting some strange behavior lately. He's become much more violent and emotional." Guilford informed those gathered, although he was looking at Schneizel as he did. Yep, there was no doubt that Cornelia had put Guilford up to this.

He held back a sigh. Honestly, with the issue of the war, he would have thought that Cornelia would have enough sense to hold off on her feud with Odysseus, but it was clear that she had no intention to do anything of the sort. He supposed that it was to be expected. Cornelia had a strong personality, and being manhandled by Odysseus surely did nothing but anger her.

Schneizel nodded, "I would agree with that statement."

Guilford quickly scribbled something down before clapping his hands together, "Then it is decided."

"What is decided?"

"Prince Odysseus must die."

* * *

**Just so you guys know and aren't confused about it, two weeks passed in this chapter since Lelouch arrived in the Chinese Federation. Also, I've made up two Chinese Federation generals, Zhuge Dan and Zhao Yun. Just so you know, I love Dynasty Warriors, and these characters have the same appearance as their Dynasty Warriors 7 counterparts. They do share some personality traits, but it isn't really a crossover, it's just that I didn't want to have all generic generals besides Li Xingke, Zhao Xinaglin, and Hong Gu, so I hope you enjoy their addition. They will have some significance in the plot later on.**

**Also, I know that a lot of you probably think that Suzaku is OOC, so let me warn you, he is definitely going to get more and more OOC as the story goes on, so be warned! Also, like I said before, I'm going to get even busier after my dad's friend won his election and gave me a internship, so I will tentatively estimate two weeks per chapter from now on. On certain weeks, I'll probably get inspired enough to write a chapter in a week, but I usually try to upload on Friday afternoons, so if I can't make my personal deadline, I usually wait until the next Friday to upload and just spend the next week doing some editing. **

**If you took the time to read that author's note, I thank you for continuing to read this story, and hope that my slower updates won't make you stop reading. In general, I hope that the quality will be better and that this story continues to entertain you. As usual, please feel free to give me a PM or leave a review if you have any thoughts at all. All comments are welcomed! As I usually say, I am a review whore, and every review makes me just want to write more. I'll be honest, I write a lot more when I get reviews, so if you want faster updates, I would really appreciate a review or a PM.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I have a self imposed deadline for Friday afternoon, but I figured that I could make an exception this time. After all, you guys gave a few more reviews and I really wanted to pump out this chapter. I really want to thank anyone who reviewed from the bottom of my heart. Everything review or PM I get really means a lot to me, and I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to leave their thoughts. You're the reason I even want to be writing this story, so thank you. I'll let you know that the chapter is shorter than last week, but hopefully you'll enjoy it the same. **

* * *

Chapter 8

Schneizel stared up at the ceiling of his room. The bed was hard and uncomfortable, standard for a military bed, but he didn't mind. He spent his whole life living on bases like this nowadays anyways. Always traveling place to place, never sleeping in the same bed twice.

Most mornings, he wouldn't even know what part of the world he was in when he woke up. It was almost as if he was living the life of a traveling salesman, flitting to place to place, trying to peddle his wares, the only difference being that the wares he peddled were life changing. And so it went, and endless cycle of negotiating, traveling, and a few hours of sleep stolen whenever they could be. It was enough to drive a man insane, but that wasn't what was bothering him at the moment.

"Prince, what is bothering you?" Kanon asked from his reading chair, across the room from Schneizel's bed. Most nights, he slept in a chair next the Prince, just to keep an eye on him. The man was one of the most well known figures in the world, and more than a few attempts had been made on his life.

"I'm…concerned for Odysseus. He doesn't know what he's gotten himself into." Schneizel slowly admitted.

This was certainly unexpected. The Earl blinked once, then twice. For as long as he worked under the Prince, he had never heard such words come from him. He knew that Prince Schneizel was not reliant on emotion. Otherwise, he would not be the commander that he was today. The man was always level headed, and emotions rarely, if ever, played a part in his decisions. Every choice he made was a calculated risk, every move a decision that had accounted for all possibilities. The Prince was always a little detached from everything else, so to hear words like that were really surprising, especially about Prince Odysseus. If anything, Kanon had expected words like that to be about Princess Lelouch.

"I always thought that you and the Prince didn't get along." Kanon said with a confused expression.

Schneizel sighed, "We don't. Not really."

"Then why are you so concerned?" Kanon asked, noticing the internal struggle that was forming inside Schneizel's mind. He was clearly grappling with his emotions. Kanon knew that, in the Royal Family, brotherly emotions were the exception, not the norm, and that certainly presented an interesting dilemma for Prince Schneizel. On one hand, he wanted to protect his brother, but on the other, his brother would be the only thing standing between him and the throne. It was definitely a conflict of interest.

"I'm just imagining what something like this would do to Britannia. I fear that the EU will catch wind of this and invade."

With a knowing look, Kanon shook his head, "That can't be the only thing. Knowing you, you already would have a planned prepared for that eventuality."

Schneizel shook his head and laughed.

"You're right. That's not it. The truth is, I think that I have come to care for my brother. I always have. I suppose that I just can't imagine life without him, or letting him die without even giving him a chance."

Kanon offered a small smile of his own. The Prince did always have a problem of caring too much for his men. As for Prince Odysseus, well, he had the lingering suspicion that Schneizel had always looked up to his older brother in some ways, and he didn't want to see his childhood idol die in such an underhanded way.

"Then I think that you know what you have to do."

* * *

"Ah! There you are!" Lloyd exclaimed happily once he noticed a familiar face. The same face that he had been impatiently waiting for two days for. Honestly, Britannian air travel was really too slow. Lloyd was a busy man, and he had no time to relax, contrary to what Cecile believed.

The man was strolling along with a confused look on his face, seemingly lost. He glanced at a folded piece of paper before deciding that he was in the right place.

"Oh, is this the Special Research Division?" He asked, unnerved by Lloyd's energetic welcome.

"Yes! And you are just the man we've been waiting for!" He exclaimed, dreams of testing already running through his head. The Lancelot was beyond ready for testing already, and he couldn't wait to see it shred through inferior Chinese Federation machines that he hoped that Rakshata had developed.

He had a bit of a rivalry going on with her, and he couldn't wait to blow her away with the Lancelot. The two of them had attended the same academy, but now, they were on opposite sides of the battlefield and had a penchant for trying to one up each other. Right now, according to Lloyd, they were tied in terms of technological victories, but he was fully confident that the Lancelot, with a capable pilot, would swing the scale in his favor.

"He's Lloyd. Please excuse him, he's always like that." Cecile offered in a far calmer tone.

Neil smiled and let out a hearty laugh.

"No problem. After the bosses I've had recently, he's definitely a welcome change. By the way, Neil Dylandy." He greeted.

"I know. I'm Cecile Croomy." She replied happily giving the man a handshake and giving him a once over, deciding that his picture didn't really do him enough justice. He actually was pretty good looking, she thought with a blush.

"So, what is it that I'm here to do?" Neil asked, adjusting the bag slung over his shoulder.

"Well, what do you think? To pilot of course! We'll be on our way soon. Get ready, you'll likely be put into combat pretty soon." Lloyd remarked.

Neil blinked, "Just like that? I would have thought that you wanted to run testing."

Lloyd waved at the air, as if he were shooing away something, "Nah, testing's boring. You don't get accurate combat data with simulators, now do you?"

"Well, I guess not…" Neil admitted.

"Then get ready! Like I said, we're leaving right away. I can't wait to see the Lancelot in combat!" Lloyd shouted before taking off like a whirlwind.

Offering the man a small smile Cecile mouthed, "Good luck," and ran off after the scientist.

Neil smiled. He really didn't mind being transferred out of the base he had been stationed at. Truth be told, he was eager to get into battle as well, and it seemed like Lloyd was nice enough. Not to mention the fact that Lloyd's assistant was quite the looker. No, he was definitely going to enjoy this.

* * *

"Would you please stop following me?" Lelouch growled at the increasingly irritating man following her.

"Sorry, but I have orders to keep you in my sight at all times." Yun replied.

"But when I'm sleeping?" Lelouch asked, exasperated.

"If you weren't lying earlier, then what do you have to fear?"

He had her there.

"It's just, I am a woman, and to have you in the room when I'm not decent…" She trailed off, blushing furiously.

Zhao Yun was taken aback by this move. The Princess had seemed so strong willed earlier, but could it be that she was…self conscious? She was still eighteen after all, and it didn't seem like she had been with a man before. Maybe the truth was that she was flustered by having a man so close to her?

"Oh, well, I guess if you put it that way, I guess I could leave you alone in your room." Yun said reluctantly.

"Thank you." She whispered as she opened the door to her room, all the while trying to avert his eyes.

As the door closed behind her and she heard footsteps heading away from her door, Lelouch smiled. The man was like any other. He had looked the part of a chivalrous man, and it was child's play to act on that and manipulate him into believing whatever she wanted.

On the other hand, Zhao Yun was breathless. He didn't just imagine the blush that had come over the girl's face, right? For some reason, the sign of humanity made him go weak at the knees. Sure, he had always thought the Princess to be quite beautiful, who wouldn't? He was a 24 years old man after all. But, she had always seemed a bit cold.

Well, he supposed that had to do with the fact that she was a prisoner. He wouldn't be happy in her situation either.

* * *

"Schneizel, what do you need?" Cornelia asked as she saw her brother enter her office.

"I need you to hold off on the attack. Just for a little while."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you called that meeting."

"Oh? And what of it?"

"We can't afford to waste time on this now. Have you forgotten that we are in the middle of a war?"

"Odysseus is nothing but a burden."

"To you. However, now is not the time to get hung up on your petty grudge. Why don't you grow up and deal with the fact that you don't always get what you want?"

"What did you call me?" Cornelia snapped, standing up from her desk.

"You are acting like nothing more than a spoiled child. Honestly, you're no more capable to lead than Odysseus."

"Who are you to make such a judgment?" Cornelia retorted.

"I am the Prime Minister of the strongest empire in the world. I think that I am qualified to make such a judgment. In any case, heed my warning. I will not stand for any sort off insubordination, be it from a common grunt to even you, Cornelia."

Cornelia slowly sat down and tried to steady her breath. She had lost, and they both knew it. For now at least, she had to listen to Odysseus.

* * *

"Princess Nunally, what's wrong?" Sayako asked with marked concern.

"Lelouch has been silent for far too long." Nunally said with equal concern.

Normally, Lelouch made sure to call her once a week, but for the past month, she had not received so much as a word from her older sister. She had not heard anything about Lelouch in the news, so she assumed that she was okay, but still, something didn't seem right.

She sighed. Maybe it was nothing to be concerned about. The truth was that Lelouch was probably going to be overwhelmed by her new job, and didn't have enough time to call home. She had been fooling herself, to think that Lelouch was going to care for her over the well being of the empire as a whole.

She may have wanted Lelouch to treat her like an adult, but that didn't mean that she wanted Lelouch to shut her out completely. They were still sisters, and Nunally wasn't ready for their relationship to fall apart.

"Princess, what are you going to do then?" Sayako asked.

Nunally stared out her window, trying to think clearly. It may be selfish of her, but she wanted to make sure that her older sister had not forgotten about her.

"Sayako, pack my things. I'm going on the next flight to Area 11."

* * *

Lelouch slowly walked along a pathway of the Forbidden City, fully aware of the presence behind her. Because of Zhao Yun's presence, it was no longer deemed necessary for her to be with the Empress at all times, and thus, she was free to wander by herself.

It had been three days since she was allowed free reign, and each passed roughly the same way. Lelouch wandered the city for hours on end, at times marveling at the sheer size of the Palace. She had been in the Forbidden City for almost a month, and she was still discovering new corridors, leading to even more new rooms and corridors.

And all along the way, Zhao Yun accompanied her, the faithful solder he was. Lelouch was aware of the constant glances he took at her, but she was not bothered by them. If anything, she was amused by how the solder acted around her, clearly still flustered from the incident several nights before. For her part, she played along, blushing whenever their eyes made contact and trying to act aloof while not seeming too cold.

Still, they had gotten rather close, and even if they didn't always talk along the way, the looks they shared told more than words ever could. Lelouch hated to say it, but the man was actually growing on her. He was a true knight, who wouldn't seem out of place among men like Jeremiah. Still, she knew that if she let personal feelings get in the way, she would never get out of the Chinese Federation.

However, lately she had been wondering how much she actually wanted to leave. After the past month, she had been getting closer and closer to the country. It still had its share of problems, but no country was without a bit of corruption. But at least here, there was no backstabbing and plotting among siblings. Here, there were no pressures about succeeding the throne, only the pressure to find something new to do the next day. Slowly but surely, the Forbidden City was feeling more like home.

Today, she had decided to wander the Southern section of the Forbidden City, having already explored the Northern and Western sections. She took each step carefully, as the Southern section was really one large lake with several elevated walkways and a few assorted buildings. The water was perfectly calm, making it almost seem like one was walking through a perfectly blue sky. It was beyond beautiful to Lelouch's eyes, which took their time surveying her surroundings. The sun was setting, casting an orange aura all through the sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Zhao Yun asked from behind.

Lelouch stopped for a moment, surprised by the stray comment. Normally, Yun was completely silent during her exploration, but today, it seemed like he wanted to talk up.

"Yes, I suppose so." Lelouch replied, continuing along at a slow pace.

"You know, when I was a child, I always dreamed of being able to enter the Forbidden City. Being born into a peasant family, I never really saw much hope for that dream to come true." Zhao mused as he stopped and looked down at his reflection in the water.

"What changed?" Lelouch asked.

"When I was fifteen, raiders attacked my village. In the Chinese Federation, raiders are a problem in the villages. Food was scarce that year because of a drought, and many people had to turn to raiding and pillaging to survive." Zhao Yun's eyes hardened as he seemed to lose himself in a memory.

"I can remember it all. Smoke, crying, and the glint of steel. They came during the middle of the day, just after work in the fields had finished. I was playing with my sister when my mother suddenly told us to go inside the house. Being the rebellious kid I was, I refused and ran off." He gave a morbid chuckle as he remembered.

"I was so stupid back then. I should've seen it in my mother's eyes. You know, she loved me and my sister so much. She had wanted us to hide so that we wouldn't have to see what was going to happen to her. I ran towards the center of the village, and I saw it. Men riding on horses. There were twelve of them. A handful of villagers, including my father, were trying to stop them. They were merciless. As I watched, they slaughtered every one of them. I saw my father get stabbed and fall to the ground. I remember every detail. His eyes, scared of his impending death, but also fear for the future of his children. Before I knew it, everyone was either dead or dying and screaming out for help. I wanted to help. I wanted to so badly, but even then, I knew that there wasn't anything I could really do. I think that was the part that hurt the most. My friends and family were dying, and I couldn't do anything.

What happened next was a little hazy. I remember that I started running as fast as my legs could carry me. I guess that I found a sword on the ground, because the next thing I could remember, I was charging at the raiders with a sword in my hand.

Do you what they did? They laughed at me. They laughed because, there I was, just some punk kid who thought that he was going to be a hero. I can remember getting so angry at that."

Lelouch looked on in amazement at Zhao Yun as he continued telling his tale.

"I killed them all. They begged for their lives, as if they had given a second thought to cutting down innocent men like my father. They gave him no mercy and I gave them no mercy." He said with a small smile.

"The survivors thought I was a hero. I was hero for murdering twelve men. They started calling me Zilong. The dragon. Eventually, Luoyang heard about me and had me shipped off to a military academy. After I graduated, I managed to get a job here as a personal guard of the High Eunuchs, and now, here I am."

Zhao gave a little smile as he finished talking.

"Do you still think about them?" Lelouch asked.

"About who?"

"Your family. Do you still think about them?"

Zhao's face dropped.

"Every day of my life. But," he added, "I haven't ever returned to my village. I can't go back. There is no way that I could go back and see the graves of my family. If I do, I'm not sure what I'll do."

They stood across each other in silence, both unsure what to say.

"Say, it's getting late, why don't we head back?" Zhao offered and Lelouch slowly nodded her head in response.

* * *

Schneizel glanced warily at the man sitting across the cheap plastic table from him. After years of negotiating, he knew that one should never let their guard down, and now was no exception, even if he had several solders accompanying him. His one comfort was the fact that Kanon was nearby, and was completely ready to step in if matters escalated.

For his part, Li Xingke also had his guard up, although he maintained a nonchalant demeanor. He had Zhou Xianglin and Hong Gu with him, under the pretext that they were investigating claims of Britannian military crossing at the border.

They were meeting in a small shack on the E.U. border, having agreed that this was the most neutral spot that could secured on short notice without getting the press involved.

"Well, should we get down to business?" Schneizel began.

"Yes." Li Xingke nodded in response.

"Then without further ado, I've had my assistant prepare the documents." Schneizel snapped his fingers, signaling Kanon, who came forward with a suitcase and set it down in the middle of the table.

"Take a look, it outlines the terms of our agreement." Schneizel said, gesturing for Li to take the suitcase.

Slowly, Li reached out and pulled the suitcase towards him by the handle.

"The combo is 666."

Li smiled a little. How appropriate, given that he was effectively making a deal with the Devil. He spun the numbers in place and received a click, indicating that the suitcase was unlocked. It creaked open and Li picked up the small stack of papers inside.

It was a normal document, with small print that was designed to confuse and manipulate. However, through his experience in treaty writing, Li knew exactly how to examine the document in front of him.

"Now, I know that you have some sort of contact in Area 11, am I right?" Schneizel asked.

"Oh, do I?" Li replied calmly, although internally, he was a little worried. How did Schneizel know about Suzaku?

"Given that you apparently had intel on us during our earlier invasion, I gathered that you had some sort of spy in our ranks." Schneizel continued, "So I took the liberty of altering our agreement slightly."

Li nodded. He wasn't lying. In addition to the terms originally outlined, in which Britannia would pledge to send in military support in exchange for the return of the Princess and the signing of an armistice, there was now also a section outlining the surrendering of the Chinese Federation's Area 11 operative.

He thought about it for a second. While it was true that he did personally want Suzaku to succeed, his loyalty and his duty was to the Empress. Did he really have any other option but to choose the Empress over Suzaku?

With slight hesitation, Li signed his name. First in Chinese characters, then in English so that Schneizel could identify that it was him.

With a smile, Schneizel stood up from his seat and extended his hand.

"I'm looking forward to a beautiful partnership."

Li smiled and took his hand.

"As am I."

* * *

By the time they had returned to the palace, the sky was already pitch black, contrasting with the almost heavenly moon that bathed everything in a pale light.

"Before my bed, the moon is shining bright,

I think that it is frost upon the ground.

I raise my head and look at the bright moon,

I lower my head and think of home." Zhao Yun said softly, staring up at the sky. He turned to Lelouch, who was looking at him with a slightly puzzled look.

"It's a poem by Li Bai. It was always my mother's favorite poem. I'm always reminded of it on nights like this. My mother used to tell me this poem all the time when she was talking about her village from her childhood."

"It's bare, but beautiful in a way as well." Lelouch replied. The two stood in silence, merely gazing up at the moon before Zhao Yun decided to speak up.

"You know, I've never told anyone about that." Zhao said.

"About what?"

"About my village. I suppose that I've never trusted anyone enough to tell them about it."

"So do you trust me?" Lelouch asked.

Zhao nodded his head slowly, amazed at his own response. It seemed ridiculous that he was entrusting such a large secret with someone who could be classified as a stranger at worst, and prisoner at best. What was driving him to do such an insane thing?

"Really? I'm touched." Lelouch said softly and Zhao knew why he trusted her.

When he saw that soft face that came out only when she was completely comfortable, her real face, he knew, in his heart, that she was a beautiful person, both inside and out. Beyond that, she was the only person who ever took the time to listen. Most people talked to him, sure. But nobody really tried to listen. Nobody was really his friend.

Maybe it was just his desire for a companion, but he really wanted to trust Lelouch. Beyond that, he wanted her to trust him. He knew it was crazy, given that she was prisoner, and he was her guard, but the truth was, he wanted to be her friend, maybe something more. He was getting whipslash from the feelings buzzing through his head.

Slowly, he found himself leaning in, as if he was drawn by some magnetic force, beckoning to him to close the gap between them. Sensing what was happening, Lelouch leaned in as well, stopping centimeters from Zhao's lips. With a quick breath, he made his decision, closing the gap.

Lelouch's eyes widened a bit as she felt their lips touch softly. Quickly, she pulled away and clasped a hand over her mouth before running into her room and slamming the door.

Lost for words and still in shock, Zhao stood in a shocked position for a minute before his mind, hazy with confusion and hormones finally registered what had just happened.

"I kissed her." He whispered to himself, touching his lips lightly.

On the other side of the door, Lelouch took a deep breath to calm herself. She hadn't even had to fake the surprised look that had come over her face as they kissed or the blush that quickly followed. Gently touching her hand to her mouth, she did a quick inspection, finding nothing. Weird because she swore that she had felt a spark moments ago.

* * *

**Just so I don't get flamed for this later, no, Lelouch is not going to turn into some lovestruck teenage girl. But just because she is a manipulative power seeker doesn't mean that she can't fall in love or have crushes. After all, Lelouch fell in love with Kallen in the anime despite the fact that he was every bit as cruel and manipulative as my Lelouch, so I would say that I have a justified reason.**

**Beyond that, I'm looking at a possible update by next Friday since it's Thanksgiving and I'll have a couple days off when I can just write, so be prepared for that. As usual, I want any and all feedback that you guys have. I want to make this story the best it can be, and part of that comes from listening to your thoughts. I won't take it personally if you leave a negative review as long as it offers constructive criticism. I am far from a perfect writer and I could use all the help I can get from you guys. Also, like I always say, every review just wants to make me write more and more, so if you want an update, review! **

**I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and want to keep reading. Feel completely free to leave behind your thoughts in either a PM or a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Well, I did say that Thanksgiving break would let me just write like crazy. I also want to thank anyone who reviewed since I just wrote more and more as I got more and more reviews. I really appreciate it! Well, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 9

The road was endless, it seemed. Neil yawned from his seat as little specks of dust pelted the cabin of the truck and small divots in the dirt road caused them to bounce up and down. They had been driving for days on end by now, and they were still days away from arriving at their destination.

For his part, Lloyd was surprisingly calm for such an impatient man. Neil could see him happily humming to himself, clearly eager to reach their destination. He certainly was not taking his time with the driving, however. Their truck was going at a steady pace of sixty miles an hour, while the truck of Princess Lelouch's personal knights trailed behind at forty miles an hour.

Sighing, Neil turned to look out the window again, looking out at the valley they were driving through. They were approaching Luoyang from the North, having been dropped off in Mongolia. So far, they had seen almost no trace of civilization save for a few scattered villages, a far cry from the heavily urbanized Britannian Empire, or even Ireland.

Neil smiled a little as his mind was brought back to his childhood by the eerily reminiscent geography outside of the truck. The fog descended on top of waves of green grass, much like the forests of Ireland that he and his family used to camp in. Back before everything had changed. Back when his parents and Amy were still alive.

From her seat next to him, Cecile looked on with interest. From the file on him, Cecile remembered that he was originally from Ireland, but left for unknown reasons. She had assumed that it was because he had a bad experience there, but from the nostalgic look on his face, it was clear that he didn't resent his home at all. If anything, he seemed a bit homesick.

"Neil, are you okay?" She asked.

Startled, Neil shot up from his slouched position. Upon realizing that it was only Cecile, he relaxed once more and nodded.

"Oh, yeah Miss Cecile."

Not really believing him, Cecile pressed on, "Are you sure? You looked like a lot was on your mind."

Neil held up his hands in surrender, "Really, it's nothing much. I'm just thinking about home."

"Oh? I remember reading that you were from Ireland." Cecile remarked, receiving a nod in reply.

"Yeah, I was born in Dublin, but I moved away when I was eighteen and I went straight into the military." Cecile did some quick calculations in her head, immediately placing him at the year of 1994. Something about that year seemed familiar to Cecile, but she couldn't exactly place it immediately. However, after thinking about it for a second, it hit her.

"Eighteen. But wouldn't that mean that you left right as the EU and Britannian conflict started?"

Again, Neil nodded in response.

"Is that why you left?" Cecile asked.

Immediately, Neil's eyes shifted to his feet, "Sorry, but can we talk about this some other time?"

Cecile nodded, turning away from him. She had pushed too far, and now he was closing up. He was definitely hiding something, but it really wasn't her place to try and pry into his personal life. She sighed. Maybe he would tell her when he was ready.

* * *

The breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Lelouch absent mindedly spooned her savory soy milk. She really wasn't hungry, but she didn't want to let her breakfast companion know that she was uncomfortable, although he could probably guess that from the way she constantly stole glances at him.

Zhao faced a similar dilemma, as he tried to avoid looking at Lelouch's face, lest he start blushing. He had been replaying the kiss over and over in his mind, making it impossible to sleep last night. He really was hopeless, wasn't he? He was in love with some prisoner! He had never made as much as one single friend among the guards in the last few years he had been here, and he had to go to fall for the first prisoner he ever had. He really was a terrible solder.

Lelouch mentally smacked herself. What was wrong with her? She had kissed plenty of men before, and this was no different! He was just some asset to be manipulated, nothing more! Or, at least, that's what she tried to tell herself. The truth was, she had never really felt this way about anybody before. This wasn't just physical attraction, it was something different. She didn't want to admit it, but maybe she maybe actually liked him.

"Princess Lelouch." Thankfully, both were snapped out of their thoughts by Li Xingke, who walked in with Hong Gu and Zhao Xianglin trailing behind as they always did. They stopped right at the foot of the table where Lelouch was sitting, crowding up next to her.

"Commander Li." Lelouch replied, glancing up at the general, who looked at Zhao Yun.

"Excuse me, but we need to talk in private for a while. Would you mind leaving us alone?" Li asked with a smile.

Feeling the sense that something was suspicious, Zhao shook his head.

"No, it is my duty to stay with the Princess."

"It'll only be a minute." Lelouch reassured immediately, hoping that her quick response wouldn't arouse any suspicion. Anxious seconds ticked away as Zhao scrutinized both her face and Li's. However, both had poker faces on, making them completely unreadable to anyone what their true feelings were.

Scowling, Zhao nodded as Li led her away, wondering what had caused such a reaction from him. Was he…jealous?

* * *

Cornelia was doing her daily rounds and inspecting the preparations for a sea based invasion. Although Schneizel had informed her that such an action would be unnecessary, she didn't want to be caught unprepared. So far, the preparations had gone smoothly, which was a miracle, considering Odysseus was in charge of it all.

Odysseus. The very name brought a scowl to her face. Who did he think he was, suddenly usurping all of the power she had worked so hard to create over the years? She had built a power of base over years of hard work, and now, he was stealing it all within months. Not to mention, he had stolen Lelouch's heart, although that wouldn't matter until they got her back. She honestly could not see what her younger sister saw in the man. He was nothing worthy of her love, or the throne.

However, the scowl on her face quickly morphed to a look of surprise as she saw a familiar face wandering around.

"Nunally?"

Hearing her name, the Princess smiled and waved, "Cornelia!"

"What are you doing here?" Cornelia asked as she walked up to her sister.

"I came to see Lelouch, is she here?" Nunally asked, scanning the immediate vicinity.

"Well you see…" Cornelia stopped for a moment. Nunally had no idea about what had happened to Lelouch. This was something she could definitely use to her advantage.

"Lelouch is missing." She finished, drawing a shocked look from Nunally.

"What do you mean, she's missing?" She asked, confused.

"Exactly what I said. Odysseus lost her while out on patrol."

"He did what?" Nunally asked with increasing despair. It couldn't be true. No, Cornelia was just playing a trick on her. There was no way that her sister could possibly be missing! It just wasn't possible!

"Yes, it was all his fault, and he admitted as such." Cornelia said.

"Well how can he still be in charge then?" Nunally cried out.

"He's a tyrant. He won't let anyone speak out against him, and he's forcing Schneizel to work with him."

"No, it can't be." Nunally shook her head. There was no way that her sweet, harmless brother could possibly have done any of the things he was currently being accused of. But still, it was Cornelia telling her this, and her older sister wouldn't lie, right?

"Nunally, I think the best thing for you to do is to leave while you can and tell the others so they can stop Odysseus." Cornelia said in a panicked tone.

Despite her misgivings, Nunally still found herself nodding along with Cornelia's suggestion.

* * *

"I have made a deal with your brother Schneizel. He's negotiated for your release and in exchange, we'll receive military aid for our coup. In fact, they're arriving in a few hours." Li informed Lelouch. They were currently standing in Li's office, which had been completely sealed off and had Zhou manning the door.

"Really? I never thought that he would do something like that." Lelouch replied. Her brother usually never made a deal like that. The terms were normally tailored to benefit Britannia, and Britannia only, although she supposed that this time was different, given that Britannia didn't have its usual total supremacy over the Chinese Federation.

"Well, I would like to thank you. Thanks to you, we can finally restore the Empress to her rightful place as the true power behind the Chinese Federation." Li said, offering his hand out.

Taking his hand, Lelouch nodded, "Yes. I suppose that means I will be returning to Britannia soon?"

"Yes, but you must make sure that you don't give it away. We're so close right now and we can't afford any mistakes now."

And with that, Li left the room, leaving Lelouch alone with her thoughts.

She tried to smile as she reviewed the news, but she found it impossible. Did she really want to go back to Britannia? After spending enough time in the Chinese Federation, she had begun treating it as her home, and now, she would be forced to return to Britannia.

A month ago, she would have jumped at the chance to return to Britannia, but now, she wasn't so sure she wanted to go back. Going back meant that she was going to be dragged back into the treachery and backstabbing that came with being a member of the Royal Family. Did she really want that life back?

Why couldn't she just stay in the Chinese Federation? She was happy here, right?

Lelouch shook her head. She knew that it was all just wishful thinking. She was sure that, with enough time, Britannia would feel like home again. At least, she thought she was sure. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she was thinking. There were too many thoughts racing through her head at one time for her to think properly.

"Why did it all become so complicated?" She asked no one in particular.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she decided to leave and go on a walk with Zhao to relax a bit. As she opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of several armed guards with their swords pointed right at her. Her heart instantly began racing and her eyes quickly darted around, trying to take in her surroundings.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Li, Hong Gu, and Zhou Xianglin struggling with ropes that bound their hands together while Zhuge Dan stood over them with a self satisfied look.

So it was Zhuge Dan who had been the traitor.

"Thank you for the help." One Eunuch that Lelouch knew as Gao Hai placed a small pouch in Zhuge Dan's hands and offered him a smile before walking up to Lelouch. He wagged a disapproving finger and shook his head.

"Princess, you've been very bad." Gao Hai said with a wicked smile.

* * *

Lloyd grinned as he saw the city walls in the distance.

"All right gang, get ready! We're finally here!"

Neil gave a sigh of relief. As they had neared their destination, Lloyd had become increasingly energetic and, by extension, irritating. Cecile had done her best to placate him, but there had been only so much that she could do.

"Miss Cecile, should I start preparing to pilot?" Neil asked.

"Yes, let me get the Lancelot prepared for launch." Cecile said before disappearing to the back of the truck to do the aforementioned task.

Following behind her, Neil opened the door to the back of the truck. Inside the storage unit sat a mini lab, with a large mass of wires and computer screens that Neil assumed Lloyd used for research along with a small cot that was probably installed by Cecile, knowing that Lloyd wouldn't want to leave his lab. However, the most noticeable feature was the large Knightmare Frame lying in the center of the storage unit.

Neil let out a small smile as he looked over the features. It was truly a beautiful machine, with rich gold lining the outside, which was made mostly of some white alloy he had never seen before. Compared to the Glasgows he had been piloting, the Lancelot was definitely a huge upgrade.

He was snapped out of his thoughts be Cecile, who handed him a white and black uniform.

"Wear this. It's a pilot suit." She said.

He appreciatively took the suit, but paused for a second.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with a confused look on her face.

"Nothing. I just thought that you would be more shy about seeing me change." Neil replied with a smile.

Immediately Cecile began blushing and turned around and Neil let out a hearty laugh.

"It's fine, I don't really mind."

Cecile tried her best to keep her eyes pointing straight forward, but after a minute, she couldn't resist taking a peek. She quickly took a glance and was immediately blown away. Thankfully, Neil had already put on the pilot suit up to his waist, but his bare chest was completely exposed. Cecile's blush deepened as she quickly noticed that he had a six pack and a toned chest. Cursing herself for such thoughts , she turned back around.

"All right, so I take it that the piloting's the same?" Neil asked as he zipped up the pilot suit.

Giving a deep sigh, relieved that his chest was covered up, Cecile nodded, "Basically. The controls are the same, but it's a bit harder to handle and control, thought, judging from your scores, it shouldn't be hard for you to pick it up."

"All right." Neil said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Cecile! Is he is in the Lancelot yet?" Lloyd yelled from the front.

"Almost! Give him a minute!" Cecile yelled in reply.

"Well, hurry it up! I want to make a big entrance!"

Neil nodded and ran over to the open cockpit. With some help from Cecile, he managed to strap himself in and she handed him the key.

"All right! He's in!" Cecile yelled.

With a grin, Lloyd pressed a hidden button on the dashboard.

Immediately, the storage unit began creaking as the roof opened up and the Lancelot was hoisted upright.

Neil placed the key in the ignition took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." He said as he turned the key. Immediately, the core roared to life with an unfamiliar sound.

As he gripped the controls, Neil could feel the raw power behind the machine he was now wielding.

He grinned, "Well, here I come."

* * *

"So, Li Xingke, do you have anything to say in defense of your crimes?" The Eunuch asked the man being held to the ground by two guards.

"The Empress should be the true leaders of the Chinese Federation. Not some greedy nobles!" He spat at the Eunuchs, who barely stifled their anger.

Meanwhile, Empress Tianzi could only helplessly watch and whimper as she saw her faithful protector being persecuted in her throne room. In a moment like this, Li would usually hold her in his arms and whisper her reassuring words, but given the circumstances, she was forced to make do with Kaguya.

"We find you guilty of all crimes and deem you worthy of execution." Gao Hai said pompously, "Next!"

Lelouch was roughly pushed in front of the eight men who were the High Eunuchs, where she fell to her knees and let her head hang in defeat.

"Princess Lelouch, you are being charged with war crimes of conspiring against the government of the Chinese Federation. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Lelouch looked up to see eight smug faces staring back. Immediately, anger flashed to her mind, but also, fear. They had been caught, and there was nothing they could do about it. Once again, her mind was filled with thoughts of despair, much like when she had first been captured. The realization that she was probably going to die came back to her, and it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Zhao kept his posture straight as he tried to avoid the Princess' face. He was hurt that she had betrayed him like this, but at the same time, he understood. All she wanted to do was to go home, and he was a fool for believing otherwise. All his dreams of living with her in the Chinese Federation were just that, dreams. He had known better than to put faith in such foolish thoughts. There was nothing he could do now. She was going to be executed, and he would continue on with his life. He would have to.

_That's not the only choice. _

The voice in his head was nagging, but Zhao knew that couldn't do it. Betraying his employers for the chance at love? That was just crazy! But still…she was the only friend he had made in ten years. Truth be told, he wasn't ready to give that up.

As he saw the distraught look on Lelouch's face, he made his decision.

"I am an idiot." He whispered to himself.

Zhao suddenly punched the guard next to him, and as he fell, quickly scooped up the man's spear. Instinctively, he swung it around him in a circle to create distance. Noticing that one guard was off balance, he quickly thrust forward the spear, impaling the hapless guard.

He grinned as the other guards instinctively took a step back. It was a well known fact that he was one of the best hand to hand fighters in the Chinese Federation, and was especially proficient with the spear. If they were smart, none of them would even try to take him on.

Using the distraction, Li quickly over powered the man with a sword to his throat. He swung his head back, causing the man to clutch his bleeding nose in agony. With unparalleled speed, he quickly kicked the man in the throat, earning a loud crack, indicating that he had snapped the man's neck. He quickly dove on the blade lying on the ground to free himself of his ropes. Retrieving his sword from the dead man's corpse, he quickly began slashing through the crowd of confusion as his allies quickly overpowered their captors as well.

Noticing that one Eunuch was making a bee line for the door, Li quickly flung his sword at the retreating figure, striking him directly in the back. The man let out a scream of agony before he fell to the ground, dead.

The other seven immediately froze up in fear, leaving them open to an attack by Li. He quickly kicked one in the chest, forcing him to bow over in pain before immediately bringing his elbow down on the man's neck, killing him instantly.

However, the appearance of more guards forced him to abandon his assault, leaving him helpless to watch as the others escaped.

"Lelouch!" Zhao yelled as he ran up to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, quickly examining her and untying her hands.

"Look out!" Lelouch yelled as she grabbed a loose knife and quickly flung it at a guard who had snuck up on Zhao, embedding it right in his eye, causing him to fall over in pain. She quickly scrambled to her feet with Zhao's help.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." Lelouch assured. Seeing the confident look in her eyes, Zhao felt strangely reassured.

Nodding, Zhao Yun readied his spear and charged back into battle.

As one guard attempted to slash at him with a sword, Zhao quickly ducked underneath the blade and swept out the man's feet, knocking him to the ground. Taking advantage of the distraction, he quickly plunged his spear into the man's chest, letting him convulse in agony for a moment before coldly removing the spear.

"It's Zilong! He's working with the traitors!" One guard yelled before he was beheaded by Zhou Xianglin's sword.

"We are not traitors!" She yelled before she turned to Hong Gu.

"Rouse the troops! Let them know what's happening!" With a nod, Hong Gu ran off, knocking men out of his way with a halberd.

"So, Zhao, what caused a change in loyalty?" Li asked as he tossed a man to the ground.

"Let's just say my priorities changed." Zhao replied as he began assaulting a nervous Zhuge Dan, who could barely keep up with his furious slashes.

Using the blunt end of his spear, Zhao smacked Zhuge Dan's leg, causing him to lose his balance.

As he did, Zhao quickly took advantage of the situation by plunging his spear deep into the man's side, causing him to scream out in pain.

"I only wanted to leave a legacy." Zhuge Dan gasped as he took a deep breath.

"You should have thought about that before you betrayed us." Li said without a hint of mercy or forgiveness before nodding to Zhao, who pulled out the spear, allowing the man to crumple into a bloody heap on the ground.

"Sir! Reinforcements are arriving from the nearby base! They're sending in the Knightmares!" Hong Gu yelled as he returned, leading a mass of men.

"Then get to the barracks of the Forbidden City! We need to steal what Knightmares we can!" Li yelled out. In a mad dash, they ran out to the open yard in front of the throne room where Knightmares were ekept.

However, before all of them could find a machine to pilot, a large force of Knightmares barged in through the front gates of the palace, opening fire.

"They're already broken through!"Zhou yelled out.

"This is not good." Li said through gritted teeth. As skilled of a commander as he was, even he knew that there was no way to defeat a much larger force armed with Knightmares with a small, poorly armed band of rebels.

"Retreat back to the throne room!" Li yelled as he began leading his troops, running up the stairs of the main palace. As they did, many were mowed down by the hail of bullets coming from the arriving forces. Li looked around in a panic, watching many of his subordinates die before his eyes.

They were done. The revolution had ended as quickly as it started, a complete failure.

While most of the men had begun panicking down below, Lelouch's mind was working in overdrive to adjust to the new conditions. From her higher vantage point at the top of the stairs, she looked out at the city. She tried to think of anything useful she had come across during her exploration. Anything! Suddenly, it hit her.

"Focus fire on the Eastern Wall!" Lelouch ordered, remembering the layout of the city.

"But the enemy is approaching from the West!" Hong Gu protested, but Lelouch put her hand up.

"No, it will work."

For some reason, Li felt confident in Lelouch and nodded.

"Listen to what she said. Focus fire on the Eastern Wall!" The few men that had managed to secure Knightmares turned and began unleashing a barrage of bullets at the wall, quickly shredding through the concrete walls. As they did, the water began flowing out. First in small increments, but water began rushing out in torrents before long.

Lelouch gave a smile. The Loyalist forces were on the higher ground of the Throne Room, while the guards were still at the gates. All it took was a basic knowledge of the geography of the area to know that there was a dam on the Eastern Wall.

Surprised, many Knightmares had just enough time to turn to see a wall of water come crashing down on them. Before long , the waves had completely engulfed the forces at the bottom of the stairs.

Lelouch nodded her head as she saw her plan unfold. It had involved sacrificing some men, but in the end, she had achieved a total tactical victory.

"Let these waves lead us to victory!" Hong Gu declared as the astonished Loyalists witnessed the enemy forces being decimated by a flood.

"She just did the impossible!" One solder yelled out.

"It was the Mistress of Miracles!"

Lelouch cackled in joy, suddenly feeling the adrenaline rush of completely turning the tide of the battle. Ah, how she had missed that rush. Mistress of Miracles eh? It wasn't such a bad title to have after all.

The flood had died down and the water was receding a bit, but the damage had been done. Most of the Knightmares had been washed away or incapacitated by the waters, effectively taking away the numbers advantage for now.

However, it didn't stop forces from attempting to enter the grounds.

"They're coming back for a counter attack!" Zhou observed and instantly, Lelouch's grin dissipated. She had played her most powerful card already, and now, she didn't have that ace in the back of her pocket anymore.

"It's fine! Just assume defensive positions for now!"

Doing as they were told, the Loyalists attempted to surround the Palace with troops in order to protect the Empress.

However, Lelouch was concerned. Their forces had already taken a hit from the initial confrontation, and now, they were expected to hold off a much larger force without reinforcements. The situation was dire, to say the least.

However, just as the Chinese Federation forces began their assault, a white blur appeared in the distance.

"What is that?" One solder called out, and Lelouch's attention was instantly drawn to the object. It was approaching at a rapid pace, much faster than any normal Knightmare could, but as it got closer and closer, there was no doubt that it was some sort of unique Knightmare.

It instantly zipped in through the gates and began plowing through the enemy forces. It was nothing more than a white blur leaving behind explosion after explosion. Quickly following behind was a familiar looking figure in the sky.

"The Tristan?" Lelouch asked as the Knightmare transformed and pulled out two polearms before landing in the crowd of smaller Chinese Federation Knightmares. As they turned to assess the new threat, the Tristan quickly began hacking through the crowd, each slash easily slicing a Knightmare in half.

"Princess!" A familiar voice rang out as a green Gloucester began fighting its way through the crowd with a Master Vibration Sword and a green plated shield.

"Jeremiah!" She cried out, and instantly, she felt Zhao's eyes shift to her figure.

The Gloucester immediately banked towards her direction, as did the Tristan, clearing a path.

Neil grinned as he felt the absolute control of the Lancelot, which was more responsive and fluid than any Knightmare he had ever piloted before. Beyond that, the VARIS Rifle that accompanied it was much more accurate than the plain assault rifles he had previously used.

Noticing one Knightmare trying to sneak up behind him, he immediately preformed a back flip, launching himself into the air. From his higher vantage point, he quickly aimed and fired of six shots in quick succession with his VARIS Rifle, marveling at how each of the smaller machines were completely obliterated with just one shot.

"Neil! The Princess has been located. We're moving to secure her." Jeremiah's voice blared through the communicator.

"Understood. I'll end the battle right now." Neil replied, sheathing his rifle, instead opting to pull out his twin Master Vibration Swords. The blades began to oscillate rapidly, turning the swords to a bright orange hue. He immediately spun around in a circle, cutting through enemy Knightmares like a knife through hot butter.

He began dashing through the crowd with his blades out in front of him, easily shredding through everything in his path. However, the Lancelot began slowing down to a crawl, and then to a complete stop.

"What's wrong with you, Neil?" Gino asked, noticing that the Lancelot was completely stopped in the middle of the battlefield.

"It's telling me that the Lancelot is running out of power!" Neil replied, slamming his hand against the controls.

"Well, don't let the Federation forces know. We need to get Princess Lelouch out first." Jeremiah replied before opening up his cockpit to see the Princess with his own eyes.

"Princess, get in!" Jeremiah yelled, beckoning with his hands.

However, Lelouch could only stand in place in surprise, still shell shocked by the fact that she was actually going to be rescued. She looked to Zhao, then to Jeremiah.

This was it. Time to make her choice. Could she leave the place she know knew as home for her real home, which felt more like a foreign land now? Where did her true loyalties lie?

Hesitantly, she took one step, then two. She saw Zhao's face drop in acknowledgement, and she couldn't prevent feelings of guilt and melancholy from washing over her. She supposed the truth was that she had come to care for him, and maybe, perhaps, she might have developed some feelings relating to him.

* * *

"I'm sorry." She mouthed before she took Jeremiah's hand.

"Something is very wrong." C.C. informed Marianne and Charles.

"What do you mean?" Marianne asked with concern.

"I mean, I have a feeling that something is going on in C's World." C.C. replied.

"Have the Thought Elevators been activated by someone already?" Charles asked.

C.C. shook her head, "No, nothing like that. As you know, the collective unconscious of all of humanity is a part of C's World."

"So what exactly are you getting at?" Marianne asked impatiently.

"I'm saying that, have you ever considered the possibility that we're not all of humanity?"

"Well, if we're not all of humanity, then who else is?"

"Have you ever heard of alternate universes?" C.C. asked.

"Are you saying that an alternate universe is causing some sort of disturbance in our world?"

"I'm saying that there's the possibility that we only compose a small section of C's World and another part of the collective unconscious is possibly being acted upon in another universe."

"So what does that mean for us?"

"Nothing, so far."

* * *

If you can't guess, the something that is wrong with C's World has to do with the actual timeline of Code Geass. I don't know if the two Lelouch's will meet or anything in the future, but I can tell you that the actual timeline of Code Geass actually will have a huge effect on this world, starting next chapter. Also, I'm thinking that sparks are going to fly between Cecile and Neil. What do you guys think?

Beyond that, look for an update either tomorrow or Friday. I think I'll be able to finish up chapter 10 pretty soon and have it up as a sort of Thanksgiving special. With the tenth chapter, the Chinese Federation arc will come to its close and a new arc that had been already hinted at will begin.

As usual, please leave any thoughts and ideas about this story, either in a review or PM. I really rely on reviews to keep writing. When I get a review, it's pretty much the equivalent of being paid for me, and I just want to write more and more, so if you want more chapters, review! Thanks for reading so far, and I hope that you'll keep enjoying this story!


	10. Chapter 10

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm not really one for Black Friday sales, so I decided to just upload this chapter instead. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as usual, I appreciate every one. In fact, they had me typing like a mad man yesterday, although I guess part of that was because the Jets were getting hammered and it just got too boring to watch anymore. Anyways, this is the conclusion of the Chinese Federation arc, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 10

"I really hate retreating." Lloyd grumbled as he tried to keep his eyes on the road. They had managed to drive off the assault, but due to the fact that the Lancelot was out of power, they had to retreat before reinforcements arrived. At the moment, they were driving towards the Mausoleum of the Eighty Eight Emperors, which was the most fortified position currently held by the Loyalists. And Lloyd definitely was not happy about it.

"We didn't have much of a choice. The Lancelot was out of power!" Cecile replied.

Lloyd nodded, "Yes, that's something I need to look into later. There has to be something wrong with the luminous core."

She sighed as she heard him going over possible solutions out loud. Cecile knew that Lloyd took it personally whenever one of his machines didn't work properly, and he was likely beating himself up for the Lancelot running out of power. But she had learned long ago that it was better to just let Lloyd smolder and focus on his work than to try and comfort him. Lloyd wasn't one for feelings, preferring the company of machines than other people.

"Lloyd, don't worry, we'll figure it out." Cecile reassured. But, it probably didn't hurt to try and get him to ease up on himself.

Nodding grimly, Lloyd replied, "I hope so, otherwise, we'll be in big trouble when reinforcements arrive."

* * *

"Princess!" Gino cried out, hugging her tightly.

"Gino, take it easy. You're choking me!" Lelouch protested, but Gino only squeezed harder.

"We were so worried about you!"

"Yes. I apologize for what happened. We should have never left you out of our sights." Jeremiah added from the driver's seat.

"It's fine. The point is, I'm back now." Lelouch reassured, pushing Gino off of her to adjust her seatbelt.

"All right Jeremiah, are we there yet?" Gino asked impatiently.

"Calm down Gino. Honestly, you're like a little kid." Jeremiah replied with an amused smile.

Following the Knightmares in front of them, Jeremiah coolly guided the truck to the right, following an unpaved road.

"This should be it then." He said as a large structure came into view.

Lelouch nodded, having recognized it from photos. It was right in front of them, the Mausoleum of Eighty Eight Emperors. It stood out like a mountain in the middle of a plain. When the Loyalists chose this as their base, they definitely weren't aiming for subtlety.

* * *

"Oh, that's terrible!" Guinevere said as she listened to Nunally's account of Cornelia's words.

"I can't believe that brute has even taken down Brother Schneizel!" Clovis said worriedly. It was the general consensus among most of the siblings that Cornelia had been indeed telling the truth, and something had to be done about Odysseus. Truthfully, none of them actually believed it was true, but all of them saw an opportunity to get rid of the first heir to the throne that wasn't going to come by again.

"I propose that we do something about this!" Guinevere added, to the applause of most of her siblings.

Euphemia on the other hand, did not agree with Guinevere at all, and shook her head.

"No. There's no way that Brother Odysseus would do such things!" She yelled out, silencing the others. There was no way that Odysseus would do any of the things Cornelia accused him of doing. Not the Odysseus who cared for her so much during their childhood. Not the Odysseus who always tried to end arguments peacefully. Not the Odysseus that Lelouch fell for.

"Euphie, I know that you want to believe that everyone in the world is good. But you're being naïve right now." Guinevere chided in a condescending voice.

"No! I'm not some child who doesn't know right from wrong! I am a fully grown Princess, and I know that Odysseus is not that kind of man!" She snapped in reply. Why was it that everyone treated her as if she were a child? She wasn't the youngest, and she had shown promise in negotiation. Why couldn't people treat her with the respect she deserved? With a huff, she turned and left the room in anger, not wanting to deal with her siblings any more.

* * *

Once they entered the tomb, they were greeted by the sight of troops bustling about, trying to ready the site for a siege. The inside had been converted into a makeshift base, with a mess of wires running across the floor and several tables set up for planning.

"Princess!" Li yelled out once he saw the truck approaching.

Lelouch stepped out and walked slowly over the general who began leading her through the crowd. He led her to a table surrounded by several generals, including Zhao Yun.

Zhao. Why did that last look from him hurt so much? She was just using him. He was nothing more than a tool for her to use. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself. But she knew she was lying. She wasn't just using him. He wasn't just a tool. Otherwise, his look, the one filled with sadness and disappointment, his look wouldn't have made her feel equally sad and disappointed.

She tersely nodded at him before turning her attention to Li.

"We've fortified the position as best we can, but the fact of the matter is, we can't just stay on defense. We have only a limited amount of supplies, and they likely just starve us to death. We don't have much of a choice but to attack."

"Attack? But that's suicidal!" Hong Gu exclaimed.

"Do you see another choice? We can either attack or starve to death, it's your choice." Li retorted.

"Anyone else have any objections?"

Li looked around at the generals assembled, having received no reply.

"Good."

"Sorry sir, but you said it yourself. They're better supplied than us in all aspects, so how can we win?" Zhou asked,

"I…I don't know yet." Li admitted.

"Is victory even possible?" One general grumbled.

"We're dead, aren't we?" Another added.

"Even if we're dead already, we cannot act like it!" Zhao interjected, "Our backs are to the wall. The only thing we can do now is to fight!"

Li nodded, "He's right. We'll have to find a way to win, or die trying."

Lelouch looked at the map set up on the table and quickly analyzed the terrain. Apart from the Mausoleum, there were no geographical features. The rest of the area was basically a plain, which took away ambushes. Around the Mausoleum were only miles and miles of fields.

Wait, that was it!

"Gentlemen. I have the solution to our problems." Lelouch announced, silencing the others.

"You see, the only geographical feature in this area is the miles and miles of fields surrounding the Mausoleum."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with fighting?" One general questioned, not seeing the logic.

"It has everything to do with fighting. What do you get when you mix dirt with water?"

"Mud." Li replied, realizing what Lelouch's plan was, "Wait, are you proposing that we trap them in the fields?"

Lelouch smiled, "Precisely. If they cannot move, they'll be helpless targets for us."

"But how are we going to get water to the fields? It's the middle of summer!" Hong Gu asked.

"Wait, my old village is nearby. We used to have a dam there to control the water during the rainy season. If we open it us, it should flood the fields." Zhao Yun spoke up.

"Well, we should head out right away then!" Hong Gu exclaimed.

Li nodded in agreement, "Yes, we need to get this done before morning. The Federation forces will arrive by then."

"Lelouch." Zhao Yun turned to the Princess, "Would you come along with me?"

"Yes." She replied.

"All right, we'll be back soon." Zhao said before leading Lelouch through the crowd.

They approached the exit of the tomb, which was currently being sealed up. Zhao turned his head, as if he was looking for something.

"Ah!" He exclaimed before he began moving towards what appeared to be a stable.

Lelouch followed closely behind him and arrived to find him stroking the mane of a pure white horse.

"This is Bailong. The White Dragon." He said softly.

In one swift motion, he swung his legs onto its back and held his hand out to Lelouch, indicating that she should do the same. Tentatively, she took his hand before quickly following his lead. With a snap of the reins, Bailong lifted its front legs off the ground and quickly dashed off.

Lelouch marveled at the speed of the steed and the control of the rider. The two seemed to be completely in sync, never stopping once along the way, as if they had traveled the same road together many times before.

* * *

Before long, Lelouch could see a small gathering of buildings. That must have been Zhao's village. Zhao loosened his hold on the reins, and Bailong slowed to a trot as they entered the small village. Lelouch could see a glassy look come over his eyes, as if he were dreaming about something.

As they entered, several villagers opened up their doors to inspect the intruder.

"Zhao!" One man yelled and the rest of the villagers came out of their homes.

"Zilong! You're back!"

Zhao stopped Bailong and quickly slid off his back before helping Lelouch do the same.

"Zhao, what brings you back here?" A young man who looked to be in his twenties asked.

"Unfortunately, it's not for a visit. We have to open the dam." He replied.

"Open the dam? What for?"

"There has been a revolution in the country, and the final battle is going to be here." He answered candidly.

"I see. Then the dam is still where it's always been." The man said, pointing.

"Thank you." Zhao said, patting the man on the shoulder before walking off.

Lelouch ran over to his side and studied his face. His eyes were still glassy, and he moved purposelessly, far different from his usual manner of walking.

"Zhao, are you okay being here?" She asked.

Zhao stopped in his tracks and looked down at the ground.

"I'm not. But I suppose I'll never be."

"Are you going to see your parents?"

"I…I don't know if I can." He admitted.

"Zhao." Lelouch said, taking his hand, "I want you to know that I'll come along, if you need to see them."

Nodding slowly, Zhao clasped his hand around hers.

"Thank you, but I'm not ready right now."

Zhao led her to the wooden dam that was holding back a large lake from flooding the fields.

"All right, all we have to is move away this plank." Zhao instructed, moving to a wooden board at the foot of the dam. With a grunt, he pulled away the wood, allowing a small stream of water to splash out. Suddenly, the rest of the dam groaned as the water pressure behind the wood began pushing up against the dam. With a resounding crack, the water broke through the wood and began sweeping out into the fields.

"We've done it." He said with a smile.

"Then, are you ready to face them?" Lelouch asked, but Zhao shook his head.

"No, I'm not ready yet."

* * *

By the time they had returned, the sun had appeared on the horizon and the sky was a deep purple with hues of orange.

"Is it done?" Li asked as they entered the Mausoleum.

"Yes." Zhao nodded.

"Then get prepared, the Federation is on its way."

* * *

By now, the sun was farther up and the sky was now deep shade of orange, exposing the Federation forces that made no attempt to hide. Lelouch took a deep breath as she adjusted the orange pilot suit Cecile had let her borrow and began checking the controls of the Gun Ru she had been provided with earlier. It was a far inferior machine when compared to the Gloucester she usually piloted, but she could make do.

Li's image flashed onto her screen.

"Princess Lelouch, our forces are all ready. How about your unit?" He asked.

"Lloyd has fixed up the luminous core, so the Lancelot is ready for deployment. I'm ready to lead them into battle."

"Your strategies have saved us once before, can you do it again?"

Lelouch nodded, "Yes, I don't have any doubt."

"Thank you for sticking with us until now, Princess. I'll leave this to you then."

His image disappeared and Lelouch blinked once. Did he just turn over command to her?

She grinned and gripped her controls tightly.

"All right. All forces! Prepare your long range cannons!" She ordered before opening a private channel with Neil.

"Neil, do you think you can protect me?" She asked.

"Yes, or I will die trying." Neil replied.

"Princess! Why are you going out first?" Jeremiah questioned.

"Jeremiah, if a king does not lead, how does he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch asked.

Smiling, Lelouch led her Gun Ru out of the front entrance with the Lancelot closely behind.

"Oh, they're foolish enough to attack us straight on? All forces charge!" Gao Hai ordered.

Lelouch saw the entire enemy force mobilize and laughed. They were all the same. Overconfident fools.

Quickly, she turned the Gun Ru around and began a retreat while the Lancelot covered her tracks.

As the Federation forces began entering the fields, their Gun Rus immediately began sinking in the mud. They desperately tried to drive their way out, but only succeeded in trapping themselves further. They were stuck, and they knew it.

"Zhao! Lead the strike up the middle!" Lelouch ordered.

"With pleasure." Zhao Yun replied as he led a charge with the main force. His Gun Ru was at the front, plowing ahead with reckless abandon, followed by a large mess of machines. Like locusts, they descended upon the fields and began opening fire on the enemy that had been caught in the mud, cutting down machine after machine.

"Li! You and your force will begin the attack on their main camp. Circle around to the rear!" Lelouch added.

"Right away!" Li replied, leading the rest of the troops in an attack on the Eunuchs.

"Gino, Jeremiah, you two will flank the enemy from the right. Get moving!" She ordered.

"Yes, my Princess!" The replied in unison. The Tristan quickly transformed into its Air Fortress form and the Gloucester began charging forward.

"Neil, use your VARIS Rifle to lay down suppressing fire!"

"Yes Princess!" Neil replied, eagerly pulling out the long range rifle. He peered through the scope to immediately find one helpless Gun Ru.

"Targeted and firing." He announced before he pulled the trigger, immediately obliterating the machine with one shot. He quickly sighted another.

"Targeted and firing."

Zhao maneuvered his Gun Ru expertly, dodging several stray shots while responding with shots of his own, each finding the hull of a different machine. The enemy was like statues, unable to do anything but to try and fire straight forward, leaving them susceptible to attacks from the flank.

Spinning the Gun Ru in a circle, he cut down all of his enemies in the immediate vicinity. In response, one enemy machine that managed to free itself pointed its guns at Zhao. Before its pilot could pull the trigger, a missle from above completely obliterated it.

Gino smiled as he began firing down at the helpless Federation forces from his Tristan. His machine gun fire came down like rain, shredding most of his targets.

"This is really too easy." He lamented before circling down for another attack.

Jeremiah charged in a rage at the forces in front of him. His green Gloucester easily dodged most fire from the Federation forces and his shield blocked the rest. His Master Vibration Sword began humming as he got closer and closer to Federation forces.

"For the Princess!" He screamed as he impaled two Gun Rus at once.

The Tristan transformed and immediately cut down several enemies with one slash of its polearm. Rallied on by the appearance of the Tristan, the Loyalist forces renewed their attack, fighting with newfound ferocity and urgency.

As the Tristan cut down three more Gun Rus with one slash, it was clear that the Federation forces were outmatched and being overrun easily by the Loyalists. Several machines began an attempt to retreat, but they couldn't get far before they were shot down.

"Press on with the attack!" Lelouch ordered before sending her machine into the fray as well.

Zhao viciously gunned down several more enemy machines before noticing Lelouch charging in as well.

"Clear a way for the Princess!" He ordered, doing his best to create a clear path for her. In response, several other men also followed his lead, accompanying Lelouch on her charge and creating a curtain of fire for her to get through.

* * *

Li smiled as he reached the relatively unprotected Mobile Base of the High Eunuchs.

"Overconfident." He said to himself before stopping in front of the base and exiting his Gun Ru. Hong Gu and Zhou Xianglin quickly followed his lead, exiting their machines as well. Unsheathing his sword, Li prepared to open the door. He pressed the button and, as the door opened, quickly charged in with his sword, quickly stabbing a guard. As another tried to shoot his gun, he found himself kicked to the ground and hacked in half by Zhou Xianglin. For his part, Hong Gu decapitated the last guard with a swing of his halberd.

* * *

"All right men, resume the attack!" Zhao Yun ordered as he noticed that the base itself was completely unprotected. In response the other machines turned around and continued firing on the scattered Federation forces.

Both his and Lelouch's machine slowly screeched to a halt and he pulled the key out of the ignition. Opening up the cockpit, he took a good look around to search for guards, and, finding none, hopped down with his spear in hand.

Lelouch approached the open entrance, having exited her Gun Ru as well, followed by Zhao Yun. As they walked inside, they immediately saw three dead guards lying dismembered on the ground. At this sight, Zhao immediately readied his spear and stepped in front of Lelouch.

"Well, those three really don't take any chances." Lelouch remarked before following Zhao through the halls of the base. As they did, they came upon more and more dead bodies with more frequency, culminating in a mess of limbs and blood right outside of the command room.

"Please! You know we came into this with the best intentions!" Lelouch recognized the pompous voice that belonged to Gao Hai. Zhao ran in with Lelouch to the sight of Li standing over Gao Hai with a sword to his neck. Li and Gao Hai were standing right next to beheaded corpses of the five other remaining Eunuchs in the center of the room as Zhou and Hong Gu were keeping watch.

"You attempted to betray the Empress!" Li yelled.

"Please!"

"I charge you guilty with treason, conspiring against the throne, and the murders of any who died in the service of the Empress today! I sentence you to death!" Li screamed in rage. He lifted his sword up and cleanly slashed through Gao Hai's neck, completely beheading the Eunuch. Gao Hai's body seized up for a second, then completely relaxed as it collapsed and his head rolled off.

Slowly, Li stumbled back a few feet and dropped his sword with a clang. Exhausted, he let himself fall to his knees, drained from the events of the day.

"It's done." Li managed in between ragged breaths. He looked up to see Lelouch and Zhao Yun standing in front of him and smiled.

"Thank you two for all of your help. None of this would have been possible without you two."

"Should we spread the news?" Lelouch asked, and Li nodded in response, slowly getting to his feet. He made his way over to the communication console and raised the microphone to his lips.

"All Chinese Federation forces stand down. The High Eunuchs are dead, and the Empress is now your leader."

He put the microphone down, a faint smile present on his lips despite the blood that caked his uniform. He had done it. He had freed the Empress. She was now going to be in power, as she should be.

It was all over.

* * *

"Li!" Tianzi cried out, running to her protector.

"Empress!" Li said happily, catching her as she leapt into his arms and engulfing her in a tight hug as Hong Gu smiled in approval. He took in the sight of her smile and gave one of his own in response. He slowly let go of her and set her down before getting down on one knee and extending his pinkie.

"Empress, I still have a promise to fulfill, and I will do whatever it takes to fulfill it."

Li saw her face light up in understanding, and as she wrapped her pinkie around his, he could have sworn it was heaven.

Zhou looked on at the two wistfully before opening her mouth as if to say something, but as she saw the satisfied look that overcame Li's eyes, she could do nothing more than to close her mouth and watch the two silently.

Noticing, Hong Gu placed a hand on her shoulder in understanding. Surprised, Zhou looked up at him as he led her away, knowing that staying any longer would only hurt her more.

"We did it!" Gino cried out, pulling Jeremiah into a tight hug.

"Let go of me, Gino!" He yelled in response, trying to push him off, but also enjoying the moment with a small smile.

Watching, Neil gave a laugh as he started to unzip his pilot suit.

"Great news, I got a lot more combat data from that! Rakshata's shoddy Gun Rus were no match for my VARIS Rifle!" Lloyd yelled out in victory before walking off to inspect the Lancelot.

Neil shook his head and laughed more, confused by the whirlwind that was Lloyd.

"Good job out there." Cecile said shyly before handing Neil and bottle of water.

"Thank you. That machine really is something." He responded, watching Lloyd tinkering with it from afar.

Cecile giggled as Lloyd proudly stroked the VARIS Rifle, "Yes, he's really quite proud of it."

"You should be too." Neil said, "You did a lot too, didn't you?"

Cecile nodded, "Yes, I am proud of it too. I just have a different way of expressing it than Lloyd does."

Neil looked up at her smiling face and couldn't stop the grin that broke out on his face as well.

Lelouch was greeted by cheering as she returned to the Mausoleum and exited her Gun Ru. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she was mobbed by celebrating Loyalists.

"Lelouch." She froze and turned as she heard her name, finding herself face to face with Zhao Yun, still in his armor. His face, slick with sweat, was turned up in a small smile, but his eyes told her that he was still preoccupied with something.

"Zhao, what is it?" She asked as he began walking towards the mouth of the tomb and she followed along.

"Lelouch, you said that you would come, right?" Zhao asked.

Confused, Lelouch thought about his words for a second before she realized what he was talking about.

"Yes, I did." She replied as they reached the exit, the sun setting in the horizon, turning the sky a deep red. Wordlessly, Zhao made his way to Bailong, hopping on top and helping Lelouch do the same. Wordlessly, he snapped the reins and they were off.

* * *

C.C. sat alone in horror. This was not happening. This was not happening. This couldn't have happened, right? Charles and Marianne were just playing a trick on her, right? They were just going to jump out of some closet and surprise her. Yeah, that was it. There was no way that they had really just disappeared, right?

Except there was a way. She didn't know how or why, but they just started...dissolving right before her eyes. As if someone just decided that they should be erased from existence. But that was impossible. There was no way that they were just gone!

"Excuse me, where is the Emperor? We have word from the Chinese Federation!" Kanon said as he ran into the room, finding no one but a green haired woman sitting alone in the corner.

"They're...gone." C.C. managed.

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"I mean, they no longer exist in this world." C.C. replied shakily.

"Wait! Did you..."

"No, I didn't kill them." C.C. snapped, "They just...ceased to exist."

"Prince Schneizel needs to know about this." Kanon said before quickly running out the door.

C.C. barely acknowledged him and stared off into space.

"This isn't happening." She whispered to herself.

* * *

By the time they reached his village, the stars and moon were out in the pitch black sky and the entire village was completely silent. He slowly dismounted and stood in place, finding himself unable to move any further by himself. However, Lelouch clasped her hand on top of his and he found the strength to keep moving.

Together, they walked over to the outskirts of town, letting the stars guide their way. In the darkness, a small grouping of rocks was illuminated by moonlight, giving off a pale glow. The wind was blowing harshly, making the grass wave wildly as they stepped through.

"This is it." He said softly before falling to his knees. Taking the hint, Lelouch did the same. There were three stones, each with Chinese Characters carved into them. Each stone was as smooth as glass, and captured the ethereal glow of the moon.

Reverently, Zhao bowed his head to the ground, as did Lelouch. The grass was cool and gently tickled Lelouch's forehead as she kept her head down.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered once, then twice. Slowly, he rose his head up to stare at the stones in silence. Following his example, Lelouch lifted her head up and stared at Zhao, who sat in silence. He opened his mouth as if to speak several times, but ultimately, he said nothing.

He stared straight ahead, trying to capture the image in his mind. The last memory of his parents. He could almost imagine his father again, smiling about some silly thing he had done while his sister looked on and laughed.

Before his eyes, he saw his sister, always by his side. He could see the river that they would look for frogs in, and he could remember how they would run around in the rain, ignoring their mother who told them to come back in before they caught a cold.

He smiled softly. He would always catch a cold, and it would be up to his mother to take care of him. He still remembered the bitter taste of the tea she gave him to cure him, and he could remember how surprised he had been the first time that it actually worked. He could hear the poems his mother used to recite. And those reassuring words that she would tell him when the other kids in the village made fun of him, or the soft scolding that was always meant to protect him. They never left his head.

And he could almost smell the beef that his mother cooked once a year, just for his birthday. They would have saved up an entire year just to buy that one steak. They never had enough money for more than one, and she always gave the entire thing to him. Then they would have a small cake that his father had walked two towns over to buy. It was the cheapest one the bakery sold, and it was only big enough for each of them to have one bite, but that one bite always tasted like heaven to him.

And finally, he could remember the panicked look on his mother's face when she realized that she was going to die.

She had whispered, "I love you."

And he had run away to go see the commotion.

"Brother! Come back!" His sister had yelled.

"Zhao? Stay back!" His father had yelled.

And he could see the fear in his father's eyes. The fear for the life of his son.

Unable to hold back his tears anymore, he clutched Lelouch's shoulder tightly and sobbed. He convulsed as crying rocked his body. His chest heaved, wracked by sobs.

"I miss you so much." He whispered, letting his mask down. For years, he had tried to forget about his village, his childhood, his family. For years, he had tried to move on. For years, he had put on a mask to hide his past. But the truth was, he couldn't forget. He couldn't move on. He couldn't hide his past.

He faintly felt a hand begin stroking his back. He slowly tilted his head up, looking up at the woman sitting next to him. With a reassuring smile on her face illuminated by the glow of the stars, she almost looked like an angel sent by heaven to comfort him.

He knew in that moment that he was, without a doubt, hopelessly in love with Lelouch vi Britannia. She sat there, gently combing a hand through his hair, doing her best to soothe him. And there they sat for what seemed like ages.

Finally, he managed to take a deep breath, having no tears left to cry out. He lifted his head up and looked straight into Lelouch's eyes.

"Lelouch, you're going back, aren't you?" He asked.

Slowly, she nodded, "Yeah, I think I am."

"Do you want to go back?" He asked, part of him not wanting to hear the answer.

"I suppose I do. I miss my family." She replied, although she was far from sure about her answer.

Zhao nodded, "I understand."

Lelouch tried to hold back a frown, knowing that comment had brought up unpleasant feelings in Zhao.

"But I can't accept it." He continued.

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise as he said that and placed his hands on her shoulders. Without having to fake it, she shuddered as she felt his strong hands gently caress her shoulders and his thumbs draw light circles on her skin through the fabric of the pilot suit. Zhao's black eyes bore into her violet ones as they sat across from each other.

"I can't accept it because…I think." He paused, unsure of what to say. Without hesitation, he pulled her close and kissed her tenderly, wrapping his arms around the small of her back and pulling her closer to his muscular body as she wrapped her arms around his neck, dizzy from the amount of thoughts and emotions rushing through her head at once. Slowly, they pulled away, still in each other's arms and stared at each other.

"I think…I love you." He managed.

"You're going to be trouble, aren't you?" Lelouch asked before she pulled him into another kiss.

* * *

Just so you guys know, the reason that Charles and Marianne disappeared was because of Lelouch dissolving them from existence in the real timeline. It had an effect on all universes, given that they weren't killed like normal people, but purposely erased from existence by the gods. So that's my reasoning behind it, just so no one flames me for it. Besides, their disappearance will be the impetus for the second act of this story, so it had to be done!

Besides that, I hope you enjoyed the Chinese Federation arc. I know I haven't really touched on the political implications of this yet, but that will come later. Also, I know that some characters have been neglected a bit, namely Odysseus, but he's really going to make a huge splash again. Again, I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. I know that I've really enjoyed writing it.

As usual, leave a PM or review! I'm welcome to any and all thoughts that you may have. I've already incorporated some of them into my story, and they can only make my writing better. I'm writing for my own personal enjoyment, but I also want you guys to have fun reading this story too, so leave thoughts on anything you want to see, and I'll try my best to make it happen.

All in all, I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have and continue to read and review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for not uploading last week, but two day tournaments kill me. On the bright side, we're now a top twenty team, so yay! Also, thanks for all the reviews! I received around twelve reviews for Chapter 10, and I really appreciate every one. In response to your review, oogle, I've already stated in a previous chapter that there not going to be any SuzakuxLelouch at all. It's been done to death and I'm really trying to write a different story than that. Beyond that, sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry that this chapter's really just more exposition, but still, that's important to the plot!**

* * *

Chapter 11

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Zhao asked Lelouch as they lay intertwined, backs to the ground as they stared up at the stars together.

Lazily, Lelouch rolled her eyes up to look at Zhao's face and sighed, "I don't really see much of a way I can stay here."

Nodding, Zhao tightened his grip around her waist and bit his lip.

"Well, I suppose I could always come with you."

Lelouch sat up, eyes wide with surprise, "Really? But this is your home."

Zhao laughed and shook his head, "I haven't had a home since I was fourteen. As far as I'm concerned, my home is with you."

That little remark touched Lelouch in a way she never thought she could be touched. There was something about the fact that Zhao was willing to follow her that made her heart swell with joy.

Pulling him into a kiss, Lelouch whispered, "Thank you."

"Princess!" She suddenly flinched in response as she heard a voice call out her name. Slowly, she turned to see Jeremiah and Gino standing over her with disapproving looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry, but Prince Schneizel has already arranged transportation for us." Jeremiah said sternly, purposefully avoiding looking at the man who had his arms around the Princess.

"I see." She stammered, quickly moving out of Zhao's embrace.

"Come on." Gino said, extending a hand out to her and helping her to her feet, neglecting to do the same for Zhao, who stood up by himself.

"So you two know, Zhao will be returning with us as well." Lelouch announced, causing Jeremiah to open his mouth in response before closing it without saying a word.

"As you wish, Princess." He managed before he turned around and began walking off.

Following his lead, Gino let Lelouch pass in front of him before following behind.

Zhao watched the scene unfold silently, not wanting to provoke Jeremiah, who seemed to be irritated by his presence. He looked back at the graves of his family one last time, and smiled. For years, he had been constantly haunted by guilt from the death of his family, and he couldn't even bring himself to be in the same area as his old village.

But with Lelouch, everything had changed. With Lelouch, he felt strong where he had once been weak, and courage swelled up inside his chest. As she clutched him in her arms, crying, he had felt strangely relieved, as if he was shedding his past with every tear.

He was never going to forget his past, or his family, but to him, it was clear. His future lay with Lelouch. It felt…nice.

"Is this why I found the strength to see you?" He whispered to the grouping of rocks.

"Was I meant to go along with her? Is this my destiny?" He asked, searching for an answer.

"Zhao!" He turned and saw Lelouch waving at him from the top of a horse, moonlight lighting up her eyes like crystals.

He smiled. There was no doubt about it. He was going to go with her, destiny or not.

"I'll never forget you, but I have to move on and live in the present. My future is calling me."

* * *

"Well, I look forward to entering a new era of partnership with you." Schneizel said cordially as he picked up the pen lying on the table and made a show of looking over the treaty, although he already knew what it contained. To put it in simple terms, Britannia and the Chinese Federation were no longer at war, and instead, allies. In addition, a Britannian Consulate would be established in Luoyang, while a Chinese Consulate would be established in Pendragon, as a sign of goodwill.

Furthermore, Britannia recognized Empress Tianzi as the ruler of the Chinese Federation, and would only acknowledge her or Prime Minister Li Xingke as representatives of the Chinese Federation. Not outlined in the treaty was the trade of hostages over to Britannia, namely, Princess Lelouch.

"As do I." Li answered, with an immediate response of scribbling as reporters quickly wrote down what he had just said.

He took the pen and clicked it, checking to make sure there was ink. Taking one last look over, he quickly signed his name amid applause from the assembled press and delegates. He passed the paper over to Li, who went through a similar process before signing it himself amid even more applause.

Coughing slightly, Li smoothed out his suit and stood up from his seat. Next to him, Schneizel adjusted his collar as he stood up to shake Li Xingke's hand.

"All right, turn to the camera." He whispered and turned to the camera with a large smile on his face. Following his lead, Li did the same as he took Schneizel's outstretched hand and shook it long enough for the reporters to get their fill of pictures.

As they returned to their seats and the reporters were ushered out, Li smiled at Schneizel.

"Thank you. I really mean it when I say that you did more than I could ever repay."

Schneizel flashed a smile in response.

"Thank you as well. I think you'll find that working with me will be very beneficial for you and your Empress."

Li nodded and loosened his tie.

"After being a field general for so long, I'm not sure how long it'll take to get used to a desk job." He sighed, unbuttoning the first button of his dress shirt.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find that a desk job isn't as boring as you think it's going to be." Schneizel said in response.

"Schneizel." Suddenly, his heart stopped as heard a familiar voice. He turned to make sure he wasn't hallucinating as he saw her in a red Chinese Style dress and walking over to his side.

"Lelouch!" He said, standing up in his chair and wrapping her up in a hug. He took in her familiar scent and ran his fingers through her silky hair, confirming her actual presence.

"Are you all right?" He said, finally pulling away.

"I wasn't treated too poorly in the Chinese Federation." She responded with a faint smile as she said those words, remembering her time back there.

"Oh, and who is this?" Schneizel asked as he pulled away, suddenly noticing the new presence in her entourage. It was a tall black haired man dressed in a suit of silver armor who looked nothing Britannian. Beside him were Gino and Jeremiah at their usual posts, making the man stand out like a sore thumb.

"This is Zhao Yun. He was my protector back in Luoyang."

"Oh, is he now?" Schneizel said, inspecting the man, who was leering at him.

"Yes, but don't worry, I can guarantee his loyalty." She whispered to him, and he instantly understood why the man seemed so angry at him. Honestly, Lelouch was nothing but trouble when it came to men.

"What is Odysseus going to say?" He asked, making sure no one else heard him.

"I don't know. Maybe he'll never know."

Schneizel sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "We both know that's not happening. When he finds out, you know that you're going to have to make one choice or another."

"I…I know." She said, knowing that Schneizel was right.

"What's wrong? You had to have known that going in, right?"

"I did, but things might have changed along the way…" She trailed off and Schneizel rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you got attached. Honestly, I thought you were better than that."

"I am! It's just, I don't know. Something's different with him." She pleaded.

"Okay. I trust you to know what you're doing." Schneizel relented, despite his feelings of unease.

As Lelouch nodded, he suddenly heard his phone begin ringing. Searching through his pockets, he found what he was looking for and quickly flipped it open.

"Yes, what is it Kanon?" He asked his faithful aide, who had stayed behind in Britannia for the time being to keep his office in order.

His eyes widened as Kanon informed him of the current situation, drawing a curious look from Lelouch. He slowly hung up and stared off with wide eyes.

"Schneizel, what happened?"

"Lelouch, the Emperor, he's…gone." Her eyes widened too at this revelation.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

"Just that, he disappeared along with Lady Marianne. According to Kanon, they're going to announce their deaths next week."

"Mother? She's gone too?" Lelouch asked frantically.

As Schneizel nodded his head, she felt her stomach drop. Her mother was gone, off the face of the earth. Suddenly feeling weak in the knees, she collapsed into Schneizel's arms, which held her steady. Immediately, her knights rushed over to help.

"What happened?" Jeremiah asked.

"Mother, she's…gone." Lelouch whispered.

"Wait, Lady Marianne is missing?" Jeremiah asked.

Schneizel nodded, "They're going to announce her death, along with the Emperor's next week."

Upon hearing this, Jeremiah fell to the ground as well, leaving it to Gino to help him up.

"What exactly is this going to mean about the throne then?" Gino asked in a serious tone, knowing that this was a serious situation.

"I suppose that it means that Odysseus should take the throne, but I know a few people who are going to be opposed to the idea. This won't end without blood."

"So, do you mean to say…"

"Yes." Schneizel interrupted Gino, "There's going to be a civil war."

"And so the Emblem of Blood repeats itself." Gino lamented.

At those words, Schneizel nodded grimly. The last time there had been a civil war, his father, the Emperor had barely come out on top, but not before much of the Empire's lands were taken in the confusion and countless people died. As few as twenty years ago, they were still reconquering landv that had been lost during the last civil war. Now, on the heels of war with the Chinese Federation, the effect on the economy was going to be horrendous, not to mention the possibility of an invasion by the EU.

"So what will our first move be?" Lelouch asked, slowly getting to her feet and taking a deep breath.

"We need to secure our own position first and discover where the lines are going to be drawn." Schneizel said to himself.

"Well, then we should get back to Pendragon as quickly as we can then, shouldn't we?" Lelouch asked.

Schneizel nodded, "I suppose so, although it might be dangerous, given that most of our siblings will have their sights set on either you or me."

"But we can't just leave behind Nunally and Euphie! I owe Mother at least that much." Lelouch retorted.

Schneizel sighed, "I suppose you're right about that. Besides, those two are sure to be among the first eliminated if they aren't rushed out. But how are we going to get them out? If the others know, and I'm sure they do, then they won't let us get to them."

"I'll go myself. I'll be able to get them out." Lelouch stated.

Schneizel shook his head, "Absolutely not. It's way too dangerous for you to go in alone."

"I won't be alone! I'll take my Knights. Don't worry, I can take care of myself." Lelouch retorted.

Schneizel stared at her face, full of conviction, and ran a hand through his hair. Even after being captured last time, she was already ready to place herself in danger. It was a bad idea to let her go, but at the same time, he knew that she would not take no for an answer.

"Okay. Go. I have a phone call to make anyways." He said, pulling out his phone and searching through for Lloyd's number.

* * *

Neil yawned as he walked into the lab clutching two cups of coffee.

"Neil! Why are you here so early?" Cecile asked as she noticed the man walk in and rub his face with his elbow.

"Lloyd wanted me to come in early and talk about some combat data." He replied, noticing Cecile rub her eyes as well.

"Here, got you a coffee too. I hope you don't take it black." He smiled and handed her his second cup before taking a sip himself.

As she received the cup, Cecile smiled in return and shook her head no.

"No, I'll be fine with whatever you got me." She took a sip and, to her surprise, it was exactly how she always ordered coffee on her own, a vanilla latte with extra milk.

"How did you know?" She asked, shocked.

Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, Neil smiled coyly, "I might have heard you mention it once or twice."

Touched by that little comment, Cecile picked up the small tin containing her breakfast and offered it up to Neil in return.

"Here, I made some onigiri stuffed with orange."

Without hesitation, Neil snatched one up and took a large bite. As he chewed it up, his eyes widened and he choked a little bit.

Immediately, Cecile got up from her seat and patted him on back until he swallowed deeply, "Are you okay?"

"Fantastic!" Neil replied happily and Cecile beamed with pride at her successful experiment. In all honesty, she had half expected them to come out horribly, but if Neil's opinion had said anything, they had turned out better than expected.

"So, do you want another?" Cecile asked, taking one for herself.

"No!" Neil answered almost immediately, "Because, you know, Lloyd should have one. He probably didn't eat breakfast yet."

As if on cue, the door opened up and Lloyd strolled in, not at all his usual energetic self.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Cecile asked, wondering why Lloyd was acting so strangely.

"Cecile, begin packing up the lab. We need to clear out immediately. Prince Schneizel has secured a new location for us in Area 12. The plane is waiting for us already, so hurry up." He stated. As he did, he took a long look at the lab he had worked in for the last few years. While he was not one to make emotional connections, leaving the place where he had worked, eaten, and practically lived in for the last few years left him feeling, well, empty.

"I suppose change is good." He whispered to himself as Cecile and Neil went about collecting important documents.

"Lloyd, what's going on? Why are we suddenly moving?" Cecile asked as she picked up a folder detailing the changes being made to the energy fillers.

"The Emperor and Empress are gone, and war is certain to break out. Prince Schneizel wants to keep us out of his siblings' hands." Lloyd said casually.

"Wait, the Emperor's gone?" Neil said with surprise clear on his face.

"Yes, now come along, leave the equipment behind. We'll have a fully loaded lab in Area 12. I've already loaded up the Lancelot, so come along." He said, ushering Cecile and Neil out, each carrying a box of documents. As he quickly followed behind, he couldn't help taking one last look.

"Goodbye." He whispered before he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Schneizel rubbed his forehead, trying in vain to assuage the headache that was assaulting him. Honestly, he had just managed to draft a peace with the Chinese Federation, and now this! He had always been planning to take over the throne, but he had always wanted to do it on his terms. And now, he didn't have a choice. Either he showed his full hand, or he was going to lose the throne, and possibly his life.

Guinevere was obviously going to oppose him. After all, she wanted the throne as badly as he or Lelouch did, and she had the means to do so, being the First Princess. Cornelia was going to be an interesting one. On one hand, she could try and seize more power by joining Guinevere in one of the inevitable alliances that was going to be formed, and on the other, she could join her favorite sister Euphemia. Clovis was hard to read. While he didn't seem like the plotting type, Schneizel knew more than anyone that when it came to the Royal Family, everyone had some plan up their sleeves. And then there was Odysseus. What was he going to do? He had a large enough base of support as the First Prince to take the throne for himself, but Schneizel also got the feeling that he didn't really want to be king. At least, not without Lelouch as his queen that is.

Then came the Knights of the Round. As the personal Knights of the now deceased Emperor, they were technically free to follow whoever they thought fit to be ruling. The only question was, who were they going to pick? It was hard to know where most of them stood currently, but Schneizel had a feeling that Luciano Bradley was not going to go along with the others. The man never really fit in with the other Knights of the Round, and Schneizel found it unlikely that he would continue to associate with them. Where Bismarck chose to lay his allegiance probably decided who Dorothea and Monica would fight for. And Anya Alstreim was impossible to read.

And what would the public think? Would they support the righteous heir to the throne? Or would they turn against Odysseus? There were too many factors to consider all at once.

"Prince, are you okay?" Kanon asked with a concerned tone.

Schneizel nodded his head in response, "I'll be fine. It's just a little headache."

"Don't worry, I have faith in you. And if all comes to fail, I'll still stand by you." Kanon reassured, placing his hand on top of Schneizel's.

"Thank you Kanon. And don't worry, if we really have the girl that we're looking for, I'll have found my hidden ace to play." Schneizel responded with a smile.

"Oh, so you are going to try and recruit her?" Kanon asked.

Schneizel nodded, "Yes, Li couldn't get me his man on the inside, but at least he got me the next best thing he could. She is supposedly an ace pilot from Area 11, and I plan to use that to my advantage, whether she comes willingly or not. And trust me, she will come willingly."

* * *

Odysseus tentatively stepped through the empty hallways of the Imperial Palace. While normally, he would be glad to see the place empty so that he could have his thoughts to himself, the current silence was eerie and unnerving. He reached one of the many offices stored within the Imperial Palace and ducked inside.

As he did, he took in the brightly lit room that was Guinevere's private office. Adorned with various paintings and covered in brightly colored plants, it looked every bit the office that he had expected of her. He strode over to her desk and took a seat in front, admiring the fine leather that he was sitting on.

Absentmindedly, he adjusted his cuffs, wondering exactly what it was that Guinevere needed to talk about so urgently. She had sent a messenger with the message that he should come home immediately, but so far, he had not seen any sign of her, and he was getting worried.

"Prince Odysseus."

Startled by the sudden voice, Odysseus took a moment to compose himself before standing and turning to face the Knight of Twelve.

"Monica Kruszewski." Odysseus greeted in response, "Do you know where my sister is?" He asked, glancing around at the empty room.

She shook her head, "Actually, that's why I'm here."

"Oh? Do you have some news for me?" Odysseus asked.

"Just come with me." She replied, "It's not safe for you here."

She turned and beckoned for his to follow. As he took a step, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"All, right, tell me what's going on." He demanded.

The blond shifted uncomfortably, and as she opened her mouth to reply, the door slammed open.

"Monica! Fancy meeting you here." Luciano Bradley said cordially, but the wicked smile on his face said otherwise.

"Luciano." She replied tersely, eyes quickly darting around, searching for danger and finding nothing more pressing than Luciano.

"You know, I have to say, I really love what the Empress has done with this room." He remarked, purposefully walking over to admire a painting. However, at the same time, Monica countered his movements, staying in between him and Odysseus.

"Hand him over." Luciano ordered, to which Monica shook her head.

"Wait, Empress?" Odysseus asked, confused at Luciano's words.

"Oh? So you haven't told him yet?" Luciano said before laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

"He'll know soon enough." Monica snapped in response, clearly more serious than Luciano.

"Oh, don't tell me that you're going to fight for him. I mean, I get the whole loyalty thing, but really, I just don't see the sense in fighting for the losing side." Luciano said with a smirk.

Scowling in response, Monica shook her head, "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you fighting for that stuck up little princess? Is it because she is the only woman without enough sense to kick you to the curb where you belong?"

Immediately, Luciano's face contorted to an expression of anger.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me." Monica replied triumphantly.

"I'm the Knight of Ten, you bitch!" He growled.

"Oh yeah? Well call me crazy, but I don't think you're really that good." Monica replied, hand at her side, ready to draw her sword if necessary.

Noticing Monica's movement, Luciano took a deep breath and calmed himself, allowing his lips to curl upward once more. With a laugh, he stepped back over to the doorway.

"All right. I guess we'll see who's really the best on the battlefield." Luciano said with a smile.

"Get out of my way before I'm forced to cut you out of my way." Monica snapped, causing Luciano to hold up his hands in mock surrender.

"All right. All right." He took a look at the two for one more time before cackling wildly once more.

"I think I finally get why you chose not to join me. Trust me Monica, he's never going to feel the same way, no matter what you do."

"You don't know that. Look at Lady Marianne!" She replied angrily, a blush forming on her face.

"But you're not her, no matter how you look at it." Luciano mocked once more before disappearing out the door.

Giving a relieved sigh, Monica sheathed her sword.

"What did he mean by that?" Odysseus asked, but Monica cut him off.

"Nothing!" She replied quickly, turning her head away from him so that he wouldn't see her rosy cheeks. That Luciano was really a bastard sometimes.

* * *

"So, you are his accomplice, am I correct?" Schneizel asked the red haired girl tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

"What are you going to do to me if I say yes?" Kallen asked defiantly.

Schneizel smiled and laughed, unnerving her.

"You are a fiery one, aren't you? I only wish to make a deal." He replied, walking behind her and reaching down to undo the ropes binding her to the chair. As the ropes fell to the ground, Kallen rubbed her sore wrists warily, still not trusting the man.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because I have sources that tell me you are an exceptional pilot. One that we would be wise to acquire the services of."

"What do you need me for? Aren't your precious Knights of the Round good enough?"

Schneizel shook his head, "Unfortunately, not all of them are to be trusted. You see, when a civil war breaks out, everyone has to choose sides. It's just a matter of choosing the right one."

"Oh? And I assume you think your side is the right one?"

Schneizel smiled, "Not at all. My plans are not for everyone, but they are perfect for me. And, if you play this out correctly, they will be the perfect plans for you as well."

* * *

**Yeah, I know that Monica wasn't a huge character in the anime, but that's why I wanted to use her! She didn't really get a chance to show much of her personality, but I think that makes her a perfect character for this story, since I can really mold her into whatever I need her to be. At this point, I see her as one of the main supporters for Odysseus' claim to the throne, for reasons that you guys can probably guess. Beyond that, I really think that since Suzaku and Gino are no longer Knights of the Round, someone has to step up as Luciano's rival, since he's fighting for Guinevere and her coalition. But I don't know, what do you guys think of having Monica in this story?**

**Also, I've sort of neglected Kallen lately, but right now, she's coming back in full force as a main supporter of Schneizel, so I hope you guys enjoy her return as well.**

**Beyond that, you guys already know my whole spiel about reviews, so I'll keep it simple. If you review, I'll try to get a new chapter out as fast as I can, simple as that. I really appreciate it whenever someone takes the time and effort to leave me their thoughts. I really try my best to listen to my readers and try and incorporate their suggestions if I can, so don't be afraid to share anything, even if you think it's crazy. I want you guys to enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it, and I understand that it's not a requirement to write a review, but I truly mean it when I say that every review I get brightens up my day. So if you can, I would really like to reach 100 reviews after this chapter. Feel free to leave your thoughts, either in a PM or a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last week. I didn't reach 100 reviews yet, but I still felt inspired enough to type out this chapter in a week. So, without further ado, here's the continuation of the Britannian Civil War.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Lelouch took a breath to calm herself as the plane began its descent into a cloud, completely obstructing her view out of the window. The plane was rocked by several bumps, each one startling the already nervous princess. She gripped the expensive leather seat for all it was worth as she braced herself for each bump.

"Lelouch, are you okay?" Zhao asked from his seat next to her.

Nodding in response, Lelouch turned to look out the window again, "Yes, I'm just a little nervous about this. We really don't know what's happened in Pendragon these past few days beyond the fact that Guinevere's taken over the city and declared herself Empress. Anything could be happening down there, and I can only hope that we're prepared."

Tightly grasping her hand, Zhao offered a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, we'll be able to take anything they throw at us."

Feeling strangely comforted by this gesture, Lelouch nodded, "Thank you. I know that we'll be able to get out of this."

Seeing the two hold hands, Jeremiah scowled from his seat until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, just let it go." Gino said, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"But don't you think that it's strange that she appointed this man to her personal guard so suddenly? Aren't you worried about the Princess' safety, especially after the last incident?" Jeremiah responded in a hushed whisper, not wanting the two other passengers to hear them.

"But look at him." Gino said, gesturing towards Zhao, who was staring at Lelouch while she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I can see, Gino. He's staring at her with lecherous eyes." Jeremiah snapped back.

"No, those eyes are saying something, but it's anything but lust. Those are the eyes of a man experiencing his first love." Gino responded with an air of intelligence.

"Oh? And I suppose you know something about that?"

Gino nodded sternly, "I do. I was once that boy. I fell in love with my family's Eleven maid. I remember seeing those eyes in the mirror for weeks before my parents found out. They fired her almost immediately once they did. I remember telling her that we would run away together. That I would forsake my noble upbringing and live a life in poverty, just to be with her. I would have done anything for her, and that's the truth. So trust me when I say that we won't need to worry about Zhao."

"So what happened to her? That Eleven maid you loved so much?"

"She left without saying so much as a word or leaving a clue behind to tell me where she had gone. She had just packed her bags and left. The only thing she had left behind was a note. She told me that I shouldn't follow her and destroy my future. But still, I ended up running away to join the military, so I guess she didn't really do me much good." Gino chuckled a little.

"Do you still think about her?" Jeremiah asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, I do. You don't forget something like your first love so easily. And that's why I know that Zhao will be willing to do anything for her." Gino responded.

"You really think so, huh?" Jeremiah whispered to himself, watching the Chinese man again, but with less violence in his eyes.

* * *

Schneizel felt uneasy about this. It was normally against his morals to negotiate with terrorists, but this time, he didn't have much of a choice. Area Eleven was still home to the largest sakuradite mine in the world, and he had to make a deal with the Kyoto House to have any chance at all to keep it under his control.

It was widely rumored that the Kyoto House was the main supplier of the various terrorist groups of Area Eleven, and, although there wasn't any tangible evidence to nail any of the members, it was widely accepted as being true. That was why he was currently sitting inside of a meeting room with the six members of the Kyoto House and Kanon.

"So, Prince, what is the meaning of this meeting?" Taizo Kirihara asked. The man was often thought of as the leader of the Kyoto House, and usually acted the part in any sort of negotiations with Britannian representatives.

Schneizel leaned back in his seat and stared out of the large window that made up one of the walls of the room. Outside, he could see Mount Fuji, the largest sakuradite mine in the world. Smoke churned from the various tunnels, and he could hear the faint sounds of men yelling out instructions to each other. He had heard of tales of its natural beauty, but these days, it was nothing more than a devastated plot of land, an unfortunate casualty of the Britannian drive for power.

Schneizel out his hands together and placed on the table, "All right, I'll cut to the chase. I know that your organization has been supplying the terrorist groups in Area Eleven."

As he said those words, he saw everyone in the room flinch at the accusation.

"Wha…what? You can't be serious!" Kirihara quickly responded, although it was painfully obvious that he was hiding something.

"I'm not coming here to arrest you or anything, so feel free to relax. I only want to talk." He reassured, noticing that no one's shoulders relaxed. At his side, he could feel Kanon silently place a hand on his hip, ready to draw his gun if necessary.

"Well then, please, feel free to tell us what it is you would like to discuss." A black haired girl, Kaguya Sumeragi, the head of the Sumeragi House, chimed in. She was generally regarded as the second in command of the Kyoto House, despite her age and inexperience.

Schneizel raised an eyebrow at the girl's assertiveness. In a strange way, she reminded him a bit of Lelouch.

"Yes, well, You can provide something that I don't have, and I can provide you with something you don't have."

"Are you suggesting that we make a bargain?" Sumeragi asked cautiously, watching her words.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting." Schneizel responded with a smile. Now they were getting somewhere.

"You're the Britannian Empire though, I wonder, what is it that you could possibly need from us?" Kaguya asked.

"Well, it's a little known fact that a civil war is brewing, and I don't like to take chances when it comes to conflicts."

As he said those words, the six chairmen immediately shared a glance and whispered amongst themselves.

"Okay, we're listening." Kirihara said with a smile.

Schneizel gestured for Kanon to stand up and distribute a stack of papers to everyone, "Oh, I knew you would."

* * *

Gino cautiously led the way out of the plane, pistol at the ready if they encountered any danger. Their landing had been unobstructed, but he knew better than to take that as a sign that they were safe.

"All right, the coast looks clear so far." He announced, giving the signal that it was okay to move on.

Nodding in response, Lelouch climbed out from her seat, Jeremiah and Zhao by her sides. The groups slowly advanced into the terminal, which they found to be completely empty.

"This is definitely wrong." Jeremiah remarked as their footsteps echoed through the normally frenzied airport. As they stepped through the luggage claim, they could see unclaimed bags still turning round and round.

"It's as if everyone just got up and left." Lelouch said, observing the slightly disheveled look of the terminal, indicating that some life had been there, although there was no telling when it had last been occupied.

The streets weren't much better either. As soon as they stepped out, the group saw miles and miles of cars lined up along the street. It was a relieving sight, although the silence was really getting to be eerie.

"At least the streets haven't been affected." Gino said with a sigh.

"No, look." Zhao said, pointing to a window of a taxi. Gino peered inside, finding no one inside.

"It's empty!" He informed the rest of the group. Upon hearing this, Jeremiah and Lelouch both ran to nearby cars.

"Same here." Jeremiah said gravely.

"This one's empty too!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Wait, do you hear footsteps?" Zhao said, motioning for everyone to stay silent. As they did, they could faintly hear the clack of boots, although the sound was getting louder and louder.

They turned to see a large brigade of armored men coming their way.

"The Royal Guard!" Gino growled, rushing to stand protectively in front of Lelouch.

"Princess Lelouch vi Britannia." One guard announced as the group came to a halt.

"Empress Guinevere would like to speak to you."

* * *

Monica quickly led the way through the winding corridors of the passage, while Odysseus did his best to keep up with her. He observed the driven blond woman in silence as she walked at a brisk pace, feet thumping furiously against carpet, cape swaying wildly as she turned a corner.

What had happened back in Guinevere's office? Monica had explained to him that the Emperor was missing, and in his absence, Guinevere had taken control over Pendragon, and she was now pronouncing herself as Empress. That explained why Luciano had been looking for him. Obviously, Guinevere wanted him disposed of. But that didn't explain why Monica had been there to protect him.

"Wait, slow down." Monica ordered, snapping Odysseus out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" He asked before she tilted his head to the Palace Doors, which were manned by a squad of Royal Guards.

"My Knightmare is just outside of the Palace, but we need to get past the guards first. Just follow my lead." She quickly grabbed Odysseus' wrists and produced a pair of handcuffs, quickly latching them around his captive hands.

"What did you do that for?" Odysseus asked angrily, but Monica ignored him and began dragging him forward.

"Hold up." One of the guards said as he noticed someone approaching the door.

"I'm just escorting Prince Odysseus to the Empress." Monica replied, but as she attempted to walk past them, she was stopped by the sound of a cocked rifle.

"I'm sorry, but we are under orders not to allow him to leave." The guard insisted.

Monica turned around and glared at the man, "Who are you to challenge the authority of a Knight of the Round? I answer directly to the Empress, not some lowly guard! Now let me through, before I am forced to call it to the Empress' attention that you decided to insult a Knight of the Round!"

Immediately, the man dropped his rifle to his side and saluted.

"I'm very sorry. Please excuse my insolence!"

With a huff, Monica turned and walked out the door, dragging Odysseus with her. Once they closed the doors behind them, Monica reached into her pockets and pulled out a key, which she used to remove the handcuffs.

"Sorry about that, but that was the only way to get past them. Come on, my Knightmare is parked over there."

However, just as the two started off towards her Knightmare, the Palace Doors were flung open behind them. Luciano Bradley quickly scanned the area before seeing the two.

"Quick, they're trying to escape!" He yelled, pointing them out to the Royal Guards, who quickly began running after them.

"Shit, Luciano saw us." Monica cursed, going from a walk to a run while Odysseus followed her lead.

"She's trying to get to her Knightmare, stop her!" Luciano ordered, leading to guards quickly moving to guard the Knightmare.

"They've cut us off." Monica groaned in frustration, looking around for another way out, "Quick, I'm taking that motorcycle."

She ran off to the motorcycle normally used by Royal Guards and grabbed a helmet.

"Just hold on." She ordered, noticing how Odysseus' muscular arms wrapped around her torso. Quickly, she frantically turned the handle, and hearing the engine rev in response, she took off.

"They're trying to close the gate on us!" Odysseus yelled, seeing two guards struggling to move the Palace Gates in place.

In response, Monica only gripped the handle tighter and sped them up. Odysseus saw the gap between the two metal gates get smaller and smaller as they approached at a blinding pace, wind whipping his face relentlessly.

For her part, Monica did her best to keep the motorcycle steady, considering the speed they were going at. In almost slow motion, she saw the surprised looks on the guards' faces as they barely squeezed through the gate, some sparks flying as the body of the bike made contact with the metal. Almost immediately, she banked the bike to the right as hard as she could, bringing them to a stop.

"We made it." Odysseus said, relieved.

"We're still not out yet." Monica replied before gripping the handle tightly once more.

* * *

"Guinevere, what have you done?" Lelouch asked as she was led into the parlor of the Aries Villa by two armed guards, Gino, Jeremiah, and Zhao following closely behind, guarded by the rest of the men.

Guinevere smiled and took a sip of tea, "Exactly what I'm meant to do. I was always going to become Empress. This is just my first act. Before long, I'll be ruling all of Britannia."

"Oh, and I suppose that you're going to kill me to ensure that?" Lelouch asked, eying the rifles next to her.

Guinevere held a hand over her heart, as if she were shocked by the allegation, "Not at all, dear Sister. I know that we've had our share of disagreements, but we're still sisters at heart. No, I have no desire to kill you. Actually," Guinevere set down her cup and stood up, extending her hand, "I want you to work with me."

Looking at her hand with disdain, Lelouch crossed her arms, "Oh? And what makes you think I'll do that?"

"The way I look at it, you don't have much of a choice. If you oppose me, all that you'll do is to lead Schneizel to destroy you. You and I both know that we can't defeat him by ourselves. If we work together though, we can do anything!" Guinevere said, not at all dissuaded by Lelouch's reaction.

"Hm, how about no. I'll take my chances." Lelouch replied.

"Very well then, I suppose I don't have much of a choice." Guinevere said with a sigh, "Kill them, but only after I leave the room. I don't want to see something so gruesome."

With that she nodded to the guards and exited.

"Sorry about this, Princess." One of the men said as he raised up his rifle. Immediately, Gino, Jeremiah and Zhao tried to rush over in front of Lelouch, but were held back. As she witnessed her protectors struggling, Lelouch felt her heart drop in the realization that she was really in danger of dying. She had half expected herself to feel numb to the fear of death, having experienced it already, but she was wrong. It hit her like a tongue of bricks, leaving her raw and scared.

She looked at the frenzied faces of her Knights, and she realized why she felt this way. It wasn't just the fact that her life was going to end, but also the fact that she knew she would be leaving behind the people she cared about. That's what hurt the most, knowing that she had people who cared about her, and knowing that they were going to die as well.

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about me." Lelouch reassured, trying not to show any sign of fear on her face. She would have to be strong, for their sake.

"What are you talking about?" Zhao yelled in protest, trying in vain to push her way through the line of guards blocking him.

Turning back to the guard with the gun pointed at her, Lelouch nodded, "I'll be joining you soon, Mother."

The man tried his best to stop the shaking in his hands and hold the gun steady. As he saw the relaxed face in front of him, he took a deep breath and forced himself to hold the sights steady. He wanted to make it as painless as possible.

As she saw him tighten his finger on the trigger, Lelouch shut her eyes, trying to keep her mind preoccupied with the happiest memory she could think of.

As she did, she thought she heard a sound that was strangely reminiscent of shattering glass.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Lelouch's eyes snapped open to see the man on his knees, a kunai lodged in his throat, amid a sea of shattered glass with a figure dressed in black kneeling in front of him. In surprise, the other guards turned around to investigate the noise, giving Zhao the opening he needed.

Immediately, he put the guard in front of him in a choke hold and turned his arm as quickly as he could, rewarded with a loud snap.

Likewise, Jeremiah tackled one of the guards to the ground and pinned him down, unleashing an onslaught of fists to the hapless guard's face.

Gino quickly swept out the legs of the man in front of him and relieved him of his rifle. As he noticed someone trying to sneak up on him, he turned and thrusted the rifle forward, impaling the guard with its bayonet. He pulled the blade out, allowing the man to fall to the ground before turning and aiming his rifle at the nearest guard, firing away.

For her part, Lelouch took the dead man's rifle and charged into a nearby guard, slashing at his neck. However, the man quickly ducked underneath and slammed the butt of his rifle into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to keel over, dropping her rifle. Desperately, she gasped for air and got to her knees as quickly as she could before she tackled into him, knocking them both onto the ground in a struggle.

She swung her fists wildly, trying to connect with his face, but found herself slowly being overpowered by the man underneath her. With a fist to her gut, he managed to stop her flailing and wrap an arm around her. Seeing no other way out of the hold, Lelouch bit down hard, causing the man to curse nad loosen his grip, allowing her to slip out. As she scrambled out of his hold and attempted to crawl away, she felt a hand grab her leg, preventing her from moving anymore.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, trying to kick his hand off, but finding that she had no effect on him. However, just as the man tried to pull her towards him, she felt his arms and hands suddenly constrict before falling limp.

Looking over at him, Lelouch was surprised to see Sayako with a kunai lodged up in the man's forehead.

"Sayako!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Princess, I've kept Nunally and Euphemia in your room, with strict orders not to leave." Sayako informed her before pulling out her kunai and rushing off to stab one more guard in the neck.

Gino roared as he delivered a powerful kick to the chest of the last remaining guard, knocking the man out cold. He wiped some sweat off his brow and touched a hand to his lips, wincing slightly at the cut there.

"Princess!" He yelled, noticing a woman dressed in a maid uniform helping Lelouch to her feet.

"Gino, we have to go get Nunally and Euphie from my room." Lelouch said frantically.

"There's no need." Euphie's voice rang out from the doorway, leading the other to turn their heads toward her.

"Sister! Are you hurt?" Nunally yelled, rushing over to Lelouch's side.

"Nuanally! You shouldn't be here, not among this kind of violence!" Lelouch admonished, trying to cover her sister's eyes up.

"Lelouch, I'm not a little girl. I can handle myself." Nunally retorted, pushing Lelouch's hand away.

"Look, I hate to break up a family reunion, but we should definitely get out of here, right now." Gino said, picking up one of the rifles.

* * *

Odysseus hung on for dear life as Monica deftly navigated the streets atop the motorcycle, weaving in and out in between the miles upon miles of abandoned cars clogging up the streets.

"Where do you plan to go?" Odysseus yelled out over the roar of the motor.

"The airport! We should be able to find a plane there and get out!" Monica yelled back in response. She quickly switched lanes to one that was marked, "Airport."

As the runway came into view, Monica opted to veer off the road and instead, drove onto the concrete on which the runway was located.

"Wait! There's a fence in front of us!" Odysseus yelled as he realized that they were approaching the metal at an alarming rate.

"Don't worry!" Monica yelled as the bike rammed into the fence and toppled enough of it over for the motorcycle to power through and land on the other side of the fence. Now faced with an almost entirely clear path, Monica revved the engine once more, pushing the motorcycle faster and faster until the ground underneath them seemed to be one gray blur.

"Wait, are those guards?" Odyssues yelled as he noticed movement in front of him. Acknowledging the sight as well, Monica tried to take a closer look, but failed to identify who it was.

"I don't know, but if they are, I'll have to run them over!" She replied, easing up on the gas. As they continued to fly down the runway, the figures got bigger and bigger. Squinting to get a better look, Odysseus saw a familiar head of black hair.

"Wait, it's Lelouch!" He exclaimed, leading Monica to look at the group in surprise.

"They must be trying to escape as well!" She replied, slowing down more and more as they approached.

"Odysseus?" Lelouch said, as she noticed a motorcycle coming at them with a familiar man holding onto a helmeted woman.

"Who is that with him?" Gino wondered as he helped Euphie and Nunally onto the plane.

The motorcycle came to a screeching halt, and immediately, Odysseus and the woman jumped off and ran to Lelouch.

"Lelouch!" Odysseus exclaimed, pulling her into a hug, "You're back!"

"Gino, we have to get on the plane as well, can you accommodate us?" Monica asked as she removed her helmet.

"Monica? Yeah, of course we can." Gino said, confused as to why the Knight of Twelve was with Odysseus.

"So, why did you do this?" Odysseus asked as he sat down next to the Knight of Twelve, as Lelouch was surrounded by her Knights on all sides.

"I already told you before, I have my reasons…" Monica began, but Odysseus cut her off.

"I know, I heard the first time. But I'm not satisfied with that answer. Just tell me straight. Why did you save me back there?"

"I'm repaying my debt to you." Monica replied hesitantly.

"Oh?" Odysseus asked, not quite sure what she meant.

Monica nodded, "Without knowing it, you saved me. You really did."

"How so?" Odysseus was definitely intrigued.

"When I was just a young officer starting out, I messed up on an assignment. It was seven years ago, during the EU-Britannia conflict.

Me and my squad were pinned down in Dublin. The EU had come in months before and dug in, integrating themselves among the regular population. We did our best to try and keep the innocents and the solders separate, but there's always bound to be mistakes, it's inevitable. Still, there was no way that the family that was coming at us was hostile. But I was young, and I panicked.

There was a little girl, you know? A little girl. And I killed her.

And that wasn't the only one too. It happened again and again. I figured that at some point, it would get easier. But it never did.

I remember drinking every night, just trying to forget some of the things I had done. And then, out of the blue, you ended it. You told them to stand down, and they did. I don't know how you did it, but somehow, you reached an agreement with the EU. You probably saved my life. I was headed down a dark path, and you righted me. I would have drunk myself to death if the fighting had gone on, I know it."

Odysseus nodded slowly as he took in the information.

"So what changed?" He asked.

"I found a reason to live." Monica replied.

"And what would that be?" Odysseus prodded, but he received no response.

* * *

"Hey, Prez, have you seen Kallen lately?" Shirley asked as she worked on a poster, scribbling furiously with a pink marker.

Milly took a pause from directing Rivalz and put her hand on her chin, deep in thought, "Hm, now that you mention it, I haven't."

"Well, I hope she isn't sick again. It must be hard for her to miss so much school." Rivalz lamented, struggling with some boxes.

From her corner of the room, Nina silently nodded in agreement. However, as she turned back to the computer screen, her eyes widened at the video feed that had suddenly appeared.

"Hey guys, I think you should come see this!" She urged, causing the others to drop what they were doing and crowd around her, trying to get a good look at the small screen.

Princess Guinevere was standing on a podium, along with some high ranking nobles and several princes and princesses by her side. She was dressed in an elaborate purple dress reminiscent of the attire of the Emperor.

"It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that our glorious Emperor is dead." Guinevere announced with mock depression. She paused for a minute, allowing the news to sink in to the shocked public.

"Did she just say what I think she did?" Shirley asked, checking her ears.

Slowly, Milly nodded, "I heard it too."

"Well what does this mean?" Rivalz asked the others, who offered no reply.

Meanwhile, a servant appeared onscreen with a large procession of guards following closely behind. As Milly looked closer, she noticed that he was holding a red velvet pillow that held a golden crown. He approached Guinevere and fell to his knees, holding up the pillow. For a second, she stared at the crown before gingerly reaching over and picking it up. She turned back to face the camera and slowly lowered it unto her head, smiling as she did.

"But do not fear! I, Guinevere su Britannia will assume the role of the 99th Empress of Britannia. My great father once said that not all men are created equal, and that is still true today! We are Britannia, and we represent the future of the world! We will live on, fight on, and carry the world into a future of our creation! All hail Britannia! All hail Britannia!" She began to chant, leading the crowd to quickly follow behind.

* * *

"Did she just do what I think she did?" Kanon asked in shock, shaking his head once to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

Schneizel sighed, "I'm not surprised. This is a tactical maneuver by her. She needs to establish her position to gain public support and to pain us as enemies of the empire."

"So what are we going to do about it? You know that we can't win this war without any sort of public support." Kanon asked, suddenly feeling very unsure.

Schneizel shrugged his shoulders, "We'll simply have to fight fire with fire."

"How do you propose we do that?"

Schneizel gave a little smile of his own.

"Kanon, I trust you've heard of propaganda."

"Of course I have."

"And I trust you have also heard of the journalist Joseph Fenette."

Kanon looked deep in thought for a moment before nodding.

"Then I assume you know what we're going to do." Schneizel said, making sure that Kanon understood him.

Immediately, Kanon nodded before standing up and leaving the room in a hurry.

Schneizel merely sat back in his seat and crossed his legs. Yes, everything was still going according to plan.

* * *

**I know that I didn't give Lloyd, Neil, and Cecile any time this chapter, but don't worry, they'll be making a comeback shortly. Also, I've revisited Ashford Academy to focus a little on Shirley, as her father is going to be involved, as you could see at the end of this chapter. I just really like Shirley, so I had to find a way for her to get involved at some point. Also, I have this weird thought that Shirley and Kanon could be a thing. It might just be me, but I could totally see it working out. What about you guys? **

**I know that Monica's story might not be anything close to what I put together, but it is going to lead to some confrontations later on that I could not have without her past being what it is in my story. Also, don't think that because Bismarck and some of the other Knights weren't in this chapter means that I'm usut going to ignore them. They'll have their own role that will be revealed later on.**

**Thanks to everyone who has continued to read this story, it really means a lot to me. Look for a few more chapters in the next few weeks since Winter Break is starting up for me soon. As usual, feel free to leave your thoughts, either in a PM, or preferably, a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ah! Winter Break is finally here! I never realized how much school took out of me until this week. On top of that, I finally reached 100 reviews, so thank you all! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 13

Gino breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt the plane touch down without any turbulence. After their escape, he had eyes in the back of his head, constantly peering out of the window to see if they were being followed. It may have been a bit paranoid of him, but it was still an extra precaution that would pay off if they were indeed being followed.

But now, they had touched down on friendly soil in Area 11, the new base of operations for the coalition that had been formed by Lelouch and Odysseus, and the plane was gliding down the runway, under the watchful eyes of countless guards. Schniezel had really taken no chances when it came to security, outfitting the island with the majority of his large personal army. Not to mention the troops that had already been stationed on the island.

They had survived, somehow.

He looked over at the other passengers, most of whom were sleeping soundly. To his left, Princess Nunally and Euphemia were sleeping side by side, leaning their heads on each other while Sayako looked over them, a relieved smile on her face. In front of him, he could see Lelouch and Zhao sitting side by side, a comfortable distance between them, while Monica was doing the opposite, snuggling up against Prince Odysseus.

Next to him, he could hear Jeremiah snore and mumble something in his sleep. Although the man never showed it, Gino knew that Jeremiah had been concerned for the princess back in the palace. Not that he wasn't concerned as well, but it seemed like Jeremiah was almost one with Lelouch, and he knew that if Lelouch had actually died back there, there was no doubt that Jeremiah would follow shortly behind, either by panicking guards trying to stop him from getting revenge or by his own hand.

Of course, Gino would have been depressed as well. He owed his life to her, and he would do anything for her. If any harm had actually come to her, he would not stop until he got revenge on everyone who had hurt her.

As Jeremiah began smiling in his sleep, Gino followed shortly behind. But it had not come to that. They were all still alive, and together. But in his heart, Gino had a feeling of dread gnawing at his heart. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was all going to end soon, as much as he didn't want it to.

"I hope it lasts longer." Gino whispered.

* * *

Shirley gulped nervously as she ran a finger through her finely brushed hair. She had spent all night combing it once her father had told her that he had gotten a call from the Prime Minister of Britannia. While something like that would normally be a cause for celebration, given the current circumstances, her father had told her to be prepared for anything.

Her mother placed a reassuring hand on her back and rubbed in small circles. She hated seeing her daughter so nervous, but truthfully, she was feeling the same way.

"Don't be tense dear. Nothing is going to happen to us, trust me." She comforted, although she was less than confident about her own words.

"Shirley, please be brave for me. No matter what happens, I'll always be there to protect you, all right?" Her father chimed in from across from her, clutching her hand tightly.

"Mr. Fenette, we've arrived at the designated meeting place." The driver announced, slowly drawing the car to a halt.

With one last once over, Joseph Fenette adjusted his tie as the driver came to open the door up, leading his wife and daughter.

Shirley nervously stepped out to find herself in front of the Viceroy's Palace. Although Ashford Academy was large and modern in its own right, the Viceroy's Palace was like nothing she had ever seen before. As far as the eye could see, white buildings and fountains lined the main walkway through the large estate, which cut right through the middle of the palace. Expensive looking sculptures were scattered throughout the walkway, making the whole place resemble an imperial palace.

"Hello, and welcome to the Viceroy's Palace. I trust you've found everything to your liking so far?" A man with soft blue eyes and light brown hair in ornate green clothes greeted.

"Why yes. Anything that is under the jurisdiction of Prince Schneizel always is." Joseph replied politely. He knew that when it came to royalty, all they wanted to hear was how beautiful or how expensive their tastes were. It was one of the things he had picked up over the years while rubbing shoulders with the most powerful men in Britannia.

In the journalism business, one had to stay in the favor of the elite while not coming across as a sycophant. Either you played the role perfectly, or you found yourself out of a job, or worse. He had heard stories over the years of fellow journalists getting executed for so much as a stray comment, and he had sworn to never meet the same fate.

However, the man's reaction completely surprised him.

"Oh, you don't need to go that far. It's nothing really that special." He brushed the comment aside before noticing Shirley, who had done her best to remain unnoticed by standing right behind her mother.

"Oh? And who is this?" He asked curiously.

Joseph tensed up and gestured towards her, "This is my daughter, Shirley."

As the man looked over his daughter with wandering eyes, Joseph slowly clenched his fists, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Not if he wanted his family to stay safe anyways.

This was one of the reasons he generally disliked the nobility. They acted as if they were above the law and common decency. But no one dared to speak out against them, including himself.

"Well, I must say, you've raised a beautiful daughter." The man said with a small smile, causing Shirley to blush. After all, it wasn't everyday that she received a compliment from such a handsome man.

"Thank you, we're very proud of her, Lord…"

"Lord Maldini. Kanon Maldini, Assistant to Prince Schneizel in both public and private affairs." He finished, putting emphasis on the last part before his smile grew bigger, "Just kidding. Please excuse my behavior, but the Prince loves having odd people around, and I'm unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, on that list."

"Well, I would say that the Prince is a fortunate man." Joseph replied with a smile. Somehow, the little joke by the man had made him a little less intimidating. At least he knew the man was human, and not some puppet of the monarchy.

"Yes, I would hope so, otherwise, it would mean that I'm not doing my job." Kanon joked, "Now, we should probably get going before the Prince gets impatient."

* * *

"Hey Louis, do you mind wiping down the bar?"

Nodding, Louis grabbed a grimy dishrag from under the counter and began wiping the wood, "Sure thing Thomas."

As he did, he looked out the window, which was covered in white. The Canadian state was known for its biting cold and unforgiving winters, and it seemed that this year was going to be the worst in decades.

It was fitting, he supposed, that the weather would affect the turmoil of the current world. The Chinese Federation had undergone a revolution, one that had claimed too many lives. And then, on top of that, the Emperor was dead. Now it seemed, the entire Britannian Empire was falling apart and was on the verge of civil war.

Not that it really concerned him anyways. The Canadian state did its best to stay out of conflicts, and was still aligned with the crown. Not that there was much to attack anyways. Canada, as a state, was bare and empty, save for a few large cities. But all in all, there wasn't much to be gained from control of it. Before the discovery of Sakuradite, Canada had once been one of the areas targeted for natural resources, but with the emergence of countries like Area 11, which were filled with Sakuradite, Canada had lost its importance.

He yawned loudly, covering up his mouth, even though there was no one around to hear him. The bar was virtually empty, and his yawn had been the only sound in the room besides Thomas' scribbling and the howling of the wind outside.

Surprisingly, the ringing of a bell was heard, signifying a customer. The wooden door creaked open, allowing some snowflakes to fall onto the ground, soaking into the floor. Two heavy boots clacked as a cloaked figure quickly slipped inside the room. The man was tall and through the heavy cloak he wore, he looked to be extremely strong as well. He walked with a sense of purpose as he approached the counter and sat down at one of the stools.

Instantly, Louis was at attention, wiping a mug for the man.

"Hello, can I get you a drink?" Louis asked with zeal, hoping for a tip later on.

"Yes, do you have anything hot?" The man asked in a booming voice.

"I'll put a pot of coffee on if you want." Louis answered, leading to a nod in response.

"So traveler, what brings you here?" Louis asked as he began pouring hot water into the coffee pot.

"I have some business to attend to." The man replied tersely.

"Oh? What kind of business?" Louis prompted, trying to start conversation.

"It's a bit of a personal matter."

"Oh, I see." Louis realized that the man probably didn't want to talk, but he pressed on.

"So then, what do you think of the current state of things?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how do you feel about Empress Guinevere? I was always under the impression that Prince Odysseus was going to get to the throne first, but I guess something else happened." Louis elaborated.

"It doesn't really concern me. I don't think that she will be on the throne for much longer anyways."

"Oh? And why do you say that?"

The man laughed, and pulled up his hood, revealing a head of dark blue hair and a bearded face with strong features, most notably an eye sewn shut.

"I just have a feeling."

* * *

Schneizel impatiently tapped a pen against his desk while he waited for Kanon to return. The tapping was the only sound in the room besides his breathing as he stared out of the window of the Viceroy's Palace.

The office had once belonged to Clovis, but Schneizel had commandeered it for the time being, at least while his new office in Area 12 was being secured. As the leader of a revolutionary force, he could never be too careful.

He had to admit, his younger brother had good taste when it came to decorating. The snow white walls were adorned with several large paintings detailing Britannian victories over the years, and two busts, one of the Emperor, and one of himself flanked an arch, which surrounded a beautiful mahogany door with intricate Britannian crests carved in. While Schneizel was a little put off by the lavishness at first, he had to admit, the office had a soothing effect on him.

The large doors gently creaked open, informing Schneizel of a presence at the entrance. Immediately, his pen stopped and he swiveled his chair to face a nervous looking Joseph Fenette and Kanon, who was far more relaxed.

"Hello Mr. Fenette." Schneizel greeted.

"Prince." The man replied, giving a bow.

"Please, take a seat." Schneizel said, directing the man to a chair right in front of his desk.

Tentatively, the man sat down under, adjusting his jacket as he did so.

"Now then, let's get down to business." Schneizel said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, let's." Joseph replied.

"As you know, my dear sister has declared herself Empress." Schneizel began, leading Jospeh to nod in understanding. News like that was not hard to hear about.

"Well, being so involved in media yourself, you must know that she is trying to sway public opinion, or is my assessment incorrect?" Schneizel asked, as if he already knew the answer.

Not daring to contradict the man, Joseph cleared his throat, "No, I would say that you are entirely correct."

"Then, in your opinion, how would you respond to that, if say, you were opposed to it?" Schneizel asked, catching the man off guard.

Clearing his throat a second time, he stuttered, "Well, I would start by running a campaign to counter the claims, perhaps by denouncing her right to the throne, and challenging her authority to declare herself Empress. That should create a public prejudice against her. I would then run a campaign that would aggressively promote my own interests, probably appealing to the sense of honor that most Britannians have."

Schneizel nodded intently as he took in the information. From his words, he could tell that he had made the right choice by inviting Joseph Fenette to his office. The man clearly knew what he was doing. It made sense. After all, one did not get to be the lead columnist of the Britannian Tribune without serious credentials and knowledge of the use of media.

"May I ask, why would you like to know this?" Joseph asked as he finished reeling off his thoughts.

"Consider it a test of sorts." Schneizel replied.

"A test? What for?" Joseph asked, confused.

"A test for your candidacy for the position of Minister of Communications for my administration. Congratulations on your new post." Schneizel said as he stood up to shake the man's hand.

Instead, Joseph sat there, shocked.

"Wait, why me?"

"Do you not want this post? It comes with ten times your current pay and Dukeship. Besides that, you will be a member of my cabinet, should your plan work in destroying Guinevere's image."

"No, it's not that. I'm just shocked that you would pick me."

"You are the best we have, it's as simple as that. Now then, I will assign Kanon to assist you in any matters that you should require. I expect to launch your campaign within the week." Schneizel said with finality, gesturing for Kanon to lead the man out.

* * *

"Well, this place does have its own charms, I suppose." Cecile remarked as she began unpacking one of the many boxes full of files they had brought along with them. She picked up one of the manila folders and flipped through the pages inside before turning to the filing cabinet to find its place. As she did, one of the pages fell out, prompting Neil to pick it up in curiosity.

"What is this?" He asked, reading it over.

"Let me see."

He handed the paper to Cecile, who quickly scanned the page.

"Oh, this was one of the plans we originally had for an air glide system. But we abandoned it years ago. The technology and research just weren't there at the time to make the design conceivable."

"But how about now?" Neil asked, interested in the idea.

However, Cecile shook her head, "I don't think that we could develop it without some sort of model. We just don't have the time and resources it would take to build it from scratch."

Neil nodded, "Well, that's too bad. But I see your reasoning."

Cecile sighed, "Yes it is too bad. Actually, I had plans of my own for something different, but we abandoned those years ago as well."

"You had your own plans as well?" Neil asked.

"Yes, I actually devised a theoretical design for an energy wing system. But like I said earlier, we didn't have the technology to go through with it."

Before Neil could prod any further, the sound of a timer interrupted them.

"Oh! My casserole is ready!" Cecile exclaimed, running off to the kitchen to inspect her food.

Neil smiled and decided to follow behind, albeit at a slower pace. The new lab they had been assigned to by Prince Schneizel was actually much larger than the one they had in Britannia, mostly due to the fact that Area 11 had more land to use. The lab, which was similar to the one they had owned in Britannia, was connected to a set of apartments for the three of them, all arranged around a common room, which included the kitchen. The close proximity to the lab made the sleeping arrangements perfect for a compulsive worker like Lloyd, who the designers must have had in mind.

As Neil approached the kitchen, the rich smell of cheese permeated the air, making his mouth water. He saw Cecile exit with a large tray just as Lloyd entered the room, drawn by the smell.

He sat down and adjusted his glasses as Cecile placed the tray in the middle of the table, steam billowing from its contents.

"Well, Cecile, I have to say, it looks like you've managed to make something that won't kill me." Lloyd said with genuine surprise, before being smacked by Cecile's oven mitt.

"You said it. This smells delicious." Neil added, leading to Cecile crossing her arms over her apron in smug satisfaction.

"Well thank you Neil." She replied, before pulling her apron over her head to join the other two at the table.

"So, did you make any progress on the Lancelot adjustments?" Cecile asked Lloyd, who nodded.

"Yes, I think I've finally found a way to make the energy fillers more effective. I'm sick and tired of the Lancelot running out of power during testing." Lloyd replied, reaching to scoop up some of the casserole.

"I think that we made some decent progress in unpacking the last bit of research, right Neil?" Cecile asked with a smile.

Neil nodded, "Yup, we've pretty much filed everything away. That reminds me, when we were unpacking, I found a design for a Float System. Do you know anything about that?"

Lloyd though about it for a moment before it came to him, "Ah! Yes, the Float System. It was meant to make Knightmares a viable option to establish aerial superiority. But we never had the resources to start work on it." Lloyd lamented.

"Well, considering the fact that we haven't been called into combat for the time being, do you think we should start work on it? I think that it would actually be a great addition to the Lancelot and it would really boost combat performance." Neil suggested, leading to a look of revelation coming across Lloyd's face.

"You know, that's actually a great idea! Cecile, what did I say? I knew he was the right pilot for the job." Lloyd exclaimed, standing up. Just as he was about to dash off to his lab, he found himself forced back into his seat.

"Oh no. You're not going to work without eating dinner." Cecile said firmly.

"But Cecile!" Lloyd pleaded, but Cecile shook her head.

"I worked on this for the entire day. Now sit and finish your dinner first." She ordered.

As Lloyd grumbled in between bites, Neil couldn't help but to laugh, drawing concerned looks from Lloyd. But he couldn't help it. Just watching a scene like that play out made him feel…happy. Sitting around a table, talking about mundane topics over dinner. Being together.

"You know, I have to say, we're just like a family, aren't we?" Neil observed, leading to looks from Cecile and Lloyd.

"I suppose you could look at it that way." Cecile replied with a warm smile, glad that Neil thought of them that way.

* * *

Cornelia's eyes slanted in suspicion as she saw her older brother enter the room, quickly followed by who she recognized as the Knight of Twelve.

For his part, Odysseus stayed stoic and refused to meet her fiery gaze. He knew that they would inevitably butt heads during the meeting, but he didn't want to give her an excuse to attack him. They just didn't see eye to eye on most issues, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He awkwardly sat down in one of the three chairs placed on his side of the table, one for himself, Lelouch, and Schneizel, as they were heading the current coalition against Guinevere's alliance. Opposite from them sat Cornelia, her knight Guilford, and her general Andreas Darlton. While Cornelia was busy staring holes through Odysseus, he noticed that Guilford and Darlton were doing the same.

It was clear that they didn't appreciate how he had treated their Princess, if Darlton's throbbing scar meant anything. Almost desperately, Odysseus looked to the door, hoping that Schneizel and Lelouch would be arriving to the meeting soon.

"Prince, why are they looking at you like that?" Monica whispered in his ear, noticing the stares as well.

"Let's just say I'm not on the best terms with my sister." Odysseus whispered back.

Just as the silence was getting to be unbearable, the door creaked open to reveal Lelouch and Schneizel.

"Sorry I was late." Schneizel apologized, taking his seat next to Odysseus.

"Same. I was preoccupied with some other issues." Lelouch added, sitting down on the other side of Schneizel.

"No, it's no bother at all." Cornelia said cordially to her sister, "It's just good to see you again. I see that the Chinese Federation treated you well."

"Yes, it did." Lelouch replied, eyes quickly darting to Zhao, a movement that was not lost on Odysseus.

"So let's get down to business." Schneizel interrupted, steering the conversation back to politics.

"Yes, let's." Cornelia responded with a smile.

Schneizel nodded to Zhao, who produced a projector and turned it on, revealing a map of the world.

"As you can see from our map, although Guinevere has declared herself Empress, most of our siblings have decided to dispute that claim. In essence, the Britannian Empire has become hundreds of principalities. Obviously, most of these are too small to really pose any threat to her, and currently, she is leading an army to destroy her opposition, especially in the Homeland.

However, here in the Pacific, we do have a much stronger base of power. Odysseus, Lelouch, and I have joined together to form a sort of Empire of our own that encompasses the lands previously known as Australia, the Philippines, and Japan. On the advice of my Minister of Communications, we have decided to remove the Numbering System from our lands, to give the impression that we are against the discrimination of non-Britannians.

Odysseus has found himself considerable support in Australia, and that is where we have based his regime, while I have secured my position in the Philippines. Lelouch has assumed control of Japan for the time being. We have more direct ties with the Chinese Federation than Guinevere, so we have also received a pledge of their support. Currently, we have put together preparations to secure other key Pacific Islands, including Hawaii, where we hope to establish a base of operations to attack Pendragon."

"Wait, you're removing the Numbers System?" Cornelia asked, amazed, "Won't that upset the native Britannians?"

However, Schneizel shook his head, "It was an outdated notion anyways. We cannot hope to establish permanent ties with these countries if we treat them as inferior. That may upset a select few, but the evidence strongly supports our decision to remove the Numbers System."

"What you're proposing goes against every core belief of our father!" Cornelia pleaded.

Schneizel sighed as he heard Cornelia's words. She really was the Emperor's Dog, through and through. Of all of their siblings, she had really been the one who had bought into the Social Darwinism ideology the most. He couldn't blame her in the least, because to move up in Britannian society, especially in the Royal Family, one had to be strong and devour the weak.

"But now, Father is dead, and it is clear that the world was moving in a new direction. Sure, it might upset the conservatives, but we don't have a choice. Those who refuse to adapt die, and I'm not ready to let Britannia die." Schneizel replied.

Cornelia looked lost for words for a second, placing a hand under her chin. Schneizel snapped his fingers and Zhao quickly disassembled the projector while Cornelia pondered what he had just said.

"Please, Cornelia. You may not agree with everything we're doing, but you can't possibly agree that Guinevere should be on the throne, can you? She's totally unprepared to run a country, let alone the largest empire in the world!" Lelouch added, hoping to sway Cornelia.

Even if she didn't want to admit it out loud, Lelouch knew that Cornelia would be valuable for the war effort. She was one of the most feared and respected officers in the Britannian military, and thus, her word had a lot of clout there. If they could convince Cornelia to join their alliance, it would mean that they could recruit some key officers as well.

Getting Cornelia would be a coup in itself, but when one considered the military personnel she could bring in, it made logical sense to try and recruit her to their cause.

Cornelia nodded slowly, "Okay. I'm listening."

At those words, both Schneizel and Lelouch breathed sighs of relief while Odysseus grunted in approval.

* * *

"Well, Mr. Fenette, I am looking forward to working with you." Kanon said, holding his hand out to shake. Prince Schneizel had entrusted him with the job of overseeing the family and basically being Joseph's handler. For any of the Prince's ultimate schemes to come to fruition, the public would need to support him, and they could not garner public support without someone like Joseph Fenette.

From what Kanon had heard and seen, the man was a modern day Marat, able to sway public opinion with just a few printed words. He knew as well as anyone that wars were not really won on the battlefield, but behind the scenes, and that someone who could manipulate the media was just as important as someone who could lead an army.

Clasping his hand around the Earl's, Joseph nodded, "The pleasure is all mine."

"Right. So I will be driving you back to your home to pack up your things." Kanon informed the family, who merely looked back in shock.

"Wait, pack up our things?" Shirley asked.

"Yes. We will be moving you to a much more protected apartment, more befitting for a man of your importance." Kanon nodded. Although Schneizel had added more layers of defense to Area 11, an assassination attempt was still a major possibility, especially for someone who was going to be out in the public eye as much as Joseph Fenette was going to be.

"But my daughter, she's enrolled in the school in our area, we can't just pull her out!" Joseph pleaded, but Kanon cut him off.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'll personally drive her to school every morning if I have to. Prince Schneizel wants you to be safe, but he also wants you to be able to live your life like normal." Kanon had him beat, and he knew it.

"Oh, okay then." Joseph relented, and Kanon turned to smile at Shirley.

"Well then. It looks like we'll be spending more time together."

* * *

The meeting lasted for twenty more minutes before Schneizel had decided to cut it short, having convinced Cornelia already. As they began to file out of the door, Odysseus stopped Lelouch.

"Lelouch, can I talk to you, alone?" Odysseus asked, shifting nervously.

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?"

"Who is this man?" He demanded with surprising force, jerking his finger towards Zhao, who was exiting the room, but suddenly paused as he noticed Odysseus' gesture.

"Well, he's a member of my Royal Guard." She stammered, briefly caught off guard.

"Oh? Then why is he looking at me with such disdain? Tell me the truth." Odysseus said firmly.

"That is the truth!" Lelouch pleaded, but Odysseus shook his head.

"A few months ago, I would have been inclined to believe you. But I'm not that weak anymore. You made sure of that. So tell me, who is this man?" Odysseus repeated, making it clear that he wanted an answer, and that he wanted it now.

"He…he…" Lelouch began nervously.

"He…?" Odysseus asked, prompting for her to continue.

"He is my lover." She whispered softly, and to her surprise, Odysseus did not look angry or surprised. Instead, he looked…defeated.

"Just as I thought." He whispered to himself.

"Please, I know that we had something, but I don't know, it all happened so quickly, and I don't know how to explain myself."

Odysseus held up a hand and shook his head.

"No, I don't need you to explain. What's done is done." He said coldly.

"Odysseus, I truly am sorry." Lelouch said, attempting to place a hand on his shoulder, but he violently jerked it away. Lelouch snapped her hand back and recoiled in shame.

Odysseus stared at her with cold eyes, and turned his head away, "Just let me know, did you ever truly love me?"

"I…I…" Lelouch trailed off, finding herself unable to lie.

With an almost disappointed look on his face, Odysseus turned his back to her, "I always thought you were different, that you actually cared about me. But now I see the truth. You're no different than everyone else. All you did was use me for your own gain. Well, tell me, was it worth it? Was it was worth losing a brother?"

"No." Lelouch whispered as he strode away.

* * *

**What do you guys think about Joseph Fenette? I never really thought about him much since he died early on and never was really seen, but for some reason, I think he really just works in this story. Powerful regimes are often built on the media and propaganda, and since I'm trying to focus on the political aspects of Britannia a bit more in this story, I thought that bringing in a Minister of Communications would just make logical sense. Plus, my inner fangirl is really amped up to think about Kanon and Shirley getting together. Shirley really got mistreated in the anime, at least in my opinion, and I think that Kanon was a mysterious character that we never really learned enough about. Why does he work for Schneizel? What is his backstory? I really think that both of them deserve something more than they got, so I'll just have to make up for it with a romance.**

**Beyond that, feel free to leave your thoughts or comments in a PM or a review. I really enjoy hearing all of your thoughts, and every review is like getting a present. I hope you guys have enjoyed this story and will keep enjoying it because I have had a lot of fun writing it this year.**


	14. Chapter 14

**All right, I know I promised more updates during Winter Break, but I started playing Persona 3, and let's just say that I've put in 50 hours in the last 4 days. Needless to say, my writing was slowed down, even though I still received several reviews, all of which I am thankful for. Please enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

Chapter 14

Odysseus waited until he was out of the room to let his mask slip. He had acted as strong as he could, but the pain was too much.

For all of his life, all he wanted was for someone who loved him for who he was, not who his parents were, or what his future post was. He wanted people to love him for being him, not for being the First Prince of Britannia. But he had quickly learned that such people were few and far between in the Imperial Court. All everyone ever cared about was gaining favor with him. No one ever asked him about his feelings, or about his thoughts or interests. No, all they wanted was for him to remember their names, in the hope that they would gain wealth or status.

He never really bothered to learn their names though, at least, not at first. But when it became clear that doing so would ultimately benefit him in the future, he had no other choice. Pretty soon, he had a group of men that he associated with, but still, he never considered any of them friends. And his siblings were no better. Sure, Euphie and Nunally were nice enough, but they were really too young to befriend him. Cornelia and Guinevere never really wanted to associate with him, and Schneizel had always acted like he was above him.

And then, there was Lelouch. He had known that she wasn't entirely normal either, but she had always genuinely been interested in him, or at least he thought she did. He knew now that it was all a lie, a ploy for her to gain power. Honestly, she was no better than any of his associates.

And here he thought that he was going to have a friend, and maybe something more. But Lelouch's confession had made him undergo a revelation. The truth was, the title of king was a lonely position. One could not afford to form friendships if they wanted to get ahead.

Love was an outdated and irrelevant concept. Love did not win you titles, or empires. No, all love did was hurt you and abandon you with its impossible promises.

"Prince! What happened back there?" Monica asked as she rushed up to his side. However, once she noticed his expression of anguish and pain, she quickly closed her mouth.

"Nothing. I just learned a valuable lesson. If you trust anyone, all they will do is lie and hurt you." Odysseus replied melancholically.

"Did this have something to do with Princess Lelouch?" She asked.

"Don't ever mention her name again." Odysseus replied harshly, eyes burning with anger at the mention of the woman who had broken his faith in love and friendship.

"I'm sorry, Prince." Monica bowed in apology, but Odysseus interrupted her.

"Don't be. You've proven yourself to be more loyal than her, after all."

"Are you sure nothing happened back there?" Monica asked, concerned for the suddenly moody man.

"No, nothing happened." Odysseus replied. He was hurt and beyond furious, but he was still a rational man. As much as he wanted to spit in her face and leave, he knew that it wasn't the right decision politically. Decisions based on emotion never were.

The right thing to do was to act as if the conversation had never happened, and that he had never fallen in love with her. It would hurt like hell, but it would be the smart thing to do.

* * *

"So, Shirley, spill the beans, who was that man that drove you to school today?" Milly asked Shirley, who had just been doing homework.

"How did you hear about that?" Shirley stammered quickly in response.

Milly rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, it's not hard to hear about a gorgeous man dropping off a member of the Student Council. So come on, tell me! Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Blushing at the accusation, Shirley shook her head furiously, "No way! He's almost ten years older than me!"

"Well well well, I always knew that you went for those older guys." Milly replied.

"What?" Shirley exclaimed.

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal Kanon in his usual green outfit, minus the hat this time.

"Shirley, I'm sorry to interrupt you right now, but your presence is required at the Viceroy's Palace. Your father believes that it's best for your safety if you return there." He said urgently, leading to Shirley nodding in response.

"Wow, Shirley, now that I see him up close, I have to give you props. You know how to choose your men." Milly said, leading to Shirley's face to turn red in embarrassment.

"It's not like that!" She replied, but Kanon decided to play along with Milly.

"It isn't? I thought we had something!" Kanon said with faked sadness, clutching his chest.

"Kanon, shouldn't we be on our way?" Shirley prodded, eager to leave the odd situation.

Regaining his professionalism, Kanon nodded, "Yes, we should. Sorry, but I couldn't help but play along."

As the two left, Milly sighed and turned to Nina.

"What do you think he meant when he said that it would be best for her safety? Do you think something big is going to happen?"

* * *

Neil watched in interest as Lloyd tried to weld two sheets of metal together while Cecile looked on in concern. Fueled by his comment at dinner, Lloyd had decided to reopen the file on an energy wing system.

"Cecile, hand me the wrench." Lloyd ordered, fiddling around with some wires. He was determined to figure out how to put Cecile's designs into practice, but without a preexisting model or research, it was not easy.

"Right." Cecile replied, handing him the wrench. She watched in interest as Lloyd tried to improvise a solution. Sometimes, despite the fact that he acted like a child, Cecile could not help but to be in awe of the man's pure genius.

Lloyd placed the metal around a bolt and began twisting, with little success. Trying to get more leverage, he tried to push with his legs, with no effect.

"Earl of Pudding!" A voice shouted out, causing Lloyd to lose his concentration and fall to the ground in a dazed heap.

As he gathered his bearings, Lloyd saw a familiar face looking down at him in glee.

"Rakshata!" Lloyd grunted in reply, getting to his feet.

"Looks like you're as clumsy as ever." She said smugly while Lloyd fumed.

"Well, at least my Knightmare shredded your Gun Rus." Lloyd snapped in reply, which was the clearly the wrong move, as Rakshata's face flashed anger.

"Don't talk about my children like that!" She replied angrily.

"Well, maybe if they were better made, we wouldn't have this conversation." Lloyd replied with a conceited tone.

As he watched the two bicker back and forth, Neil turned to Cecile in confusion.

"I assume they know each other?"

Cecile nodded, "Yes, she attended the Britannian Engineering Academy with me and Lloyd. Over the years, she has developed a rivalry with Lloyd."

"Oh, well, I wasn't aware of that fact." Schneizel lamented, walking up next to the two.

"Prince!" Cecile exclaimed, quickly bowing in respect.

"Please Miss Croomy. That isn't necessary." Schneizel said with a hearty laugh.

With an embarrassed look, Cecile lifted her head up, "Sorry. I just didn't realize you were coming to visit."

"I assure you, this trip was all business." Schneizel replied, "You see, Li Xingke kindly gave me the contact information for his brightest engineer. I figured that bringing her together with Lloyd would result in a beautiful partnership."

"Well, I'm sure that for all their differences, they'll find a way to work together." Cecile reassured.

"Then I guess I'll have to leave it up to you. You do know how to handle Lloyd better than anyone else." Schneizel said, patting Cecile on the shoulder. Surprised at the responsibility she had been given, Cecile nodded in understanding.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have an important announcement to make in a few hours."

* * *

Kaguya Sumeragi gave Taizo Kirihara and the rest of the Kyoto House a worried look as they sat in the waiting room of the Viceroy's Palace. They had been ordered there under armed escort by Prince Schneizel, which did not bode well for them.

From across her, she could see Taizo doing an admirable job of hiding his nerves, the only sign that he was not at ease being a few small beads of sweat on his brow. However, she knew that inside, he was probably panicking. They had all known what the possible consequences of helping the rebels of Area 11 would have been, but that didn't mean that they were really prepared to face them.

She carefully took a sip of her tea and placed the cup down, hands shaking all the way. She wasn't one to usually show nervousness, but under a situation like this, she imagined anyone would be. She was only a teenager, despite the responsibility and power that she wielded. Most girls her age would be concerned with boys or fashion, not the political happenings of Area 11. As technically the second most powerful individual when it came to the resistance, only below Kirihara, she had no time to be a teenager. Either she had to grow up, or she was going to lead her people to ruin. She had chosen to try and grow up, but it didn't mean that she was completely ready for her role.

"Kaguya, do you think he means to kill us?" Taizo whispered, and Kaguya gave him a shrug in response.

"The Britannians have taken direct control over us. I can only imagine that we are no longer necessary in their plans." Kaguya responded pessimistically.

Indeed, the only reason that they managed to hold onto their industries after the Britannian invasion was so that they could act as moderators between the Britannian rulers and their Japanese subjects. However, in a situation like this, in which Japan was under martial law, there was no need for moderators. To the Britannians, those who were useless were better off dead.

Her eye was caught by a flurry of sound and footsteps approaching the room. In walked Prince Schneizel, Prince Odysseus, and Princess Lelouch. Along with them, Kaguya recognized several men dressed in green who were likely the Knights of Princess Lelouch, and the Knight of Twelve, Monica Kruszewski. Strangely however, Princess Cornelia was absent from the group.

"Representative Sumeragi, I would like to ask you to accompany my little entourage." Schneizel said, pausing in front of the six assembled leaders.

"Of course." Kaguya replied, standing up nervously. Odysseus and Monica stepped aside, allowing her to walk up to Schneizel's side. As she did, she glanced at the faces of some of the guards to get a feel for the situation, but her efforts were fruitless, as everyone kept emotionless faces.

As they went on their way, Kaguya couldn't help but ask, "Why exactly do you want me to come along?"

"Well, I believe you are best suited to be the representative of the Japanese People." Schneizel replied frankly.

Suddenly his words hit home. He had said Japanese. Not Elevens, but Japanese. She knew that it was possibly just a slip up on his part, but it did seem like an odd comment.

"All right, we'll be going outside to the press conference. Try and put a smile on for the cameras." Schneizel ordered.

Complying, Kaguya smiled slightly as she was led out the doors of the Viceroy's Palace.

Immediately, her vision was bombarded by camera flashes and her ears were filled with the sounds of questions being posed by a mob of reporters.

Schneizel stepped up to the podium, and immediately, the mob silenced. Kaguya couldn't help but to be impressed by the power of his mere presence to these people.

"For years, the Britannian Empire has operated on the ideals of my father, which called for the subjugation of foreign lands, stripping them and their people of their identity and name, and instead, replacing it with a mere number. Here, we established Area 11, forging a new identity for this country and its people.

Well, sometimes, we must look to the past to achieve progress. That is why, as of today, Area 11 has been abolished. It will now be known as its original name, Japan. In addition, two other former dominions of the Britannian Empire shall also be known by their original names, Australia and the Philippines.

Should anyone want to challenge this decision, they will have to do so by force."

Immediately after he stepped away from the microphone, he was immediately bombarded by questioning reporters.

However, Schneizel merely ignored them and turned to return to the doors, Lelouch following quickly behind, slamming them shut to keep the crowd out, leaving the others to field questions.

For a moment, Kaguya was completely stunned. The man had just ended years of tradition and doctrine without batting an eyelash. Furthermore, he had just indirectly challenged the Empress of Britannia without any sort of fear of retaliation.

"Who is this man?" She whispered to herself before she noticed that several reporters had come up to her.

* * *

"Schneizel, are you sure that we should be leaving Odysseus to answer questions? What if he gives off the wrong impression?" Lelouch asked worriedly, but Schneizel shook his head.

"Lelouch, you need to trust your subordinates. If you don't, how can you expect them to trust you? Trust is mutual, and one cannot be an effective leader without it." Schneizel replied, admonishing her slightly.

"Yes, but still, I fear that Odysseus is not in the best state of mind right now…" She trailed off, but Schneizel looked at her in interest.

"Oh? And why is that?" He asked, although he was certain that he already knew the answer.

"He might have stumbled upon the truth." Lelouch said slowly, trying to ease the pain of each word.

Schneizel sighed, "Lelouch, we both knew that this was going to happen. What did I tell you? We cannot afford to become attached. We will never get ahead that way. I know that it might not seem fair, but the world of politics is not fair."

"Don't lecture me on politics. I can handle myself as well as anyone." Lelouch retorted.

Schneizel nodded, "That may be so, but we still cannot let emotions dictate out actions. Everything we have done and will do have been and will be dictated by reason, not emotion."

"Why are you trying to lecture me now? What's done is done." Lelouch asked.

Schneizel ran a finger through his hair, "Lelouch, I was going to announce this publicly, but I'll inform you now. I'm appointing you as commander in chief of our Allied military forces. We cannot let Guinevere build momentum with victories while we are sitting around and mounting a defense.

While Cornelia handles the construction of a defense, Odysseus and I will be attending meetings to garner support from other countries to join our alliance. That will leave you to command the majority of our offensive force. But I just need to make sure that you are completely ready for this."

Lelouch nodded, "All right, I understand."

Schneizel smiled, "Good. I've already begun preparations for a fleet to be assembled. We need to act quickly if we want to have any chance of winning this war."

* * *

Kyoshiro Tohdoh watched in interest as a special news report came on the television screen. Alongside him, General Katase also took his eyes off of some reports given to him by the daily patrols they sent out. They sent out patrols less frequently, but it was still good to get a read on the situation outside of their stronghold every now and then.

Due to the presence of so many royal figures in Area 11, the Japanese Liberation Front was hesitant to continue their rebellion, the fear of retaliation drowning out all hope for victory. But at the same time, they were grateful for the respite, as it allowed them for a chance to regroup after several crushing defeats that had threatened to end the rebellion altogether.

As he listened to the broadcast, Tohdoh had to blink a few times to make sure that he was not hallucinating.

They had fought against the Britannians for years to reestablish Japan, and now, the Britannians were just giving them Japan back? True, they were still going to maintain control over the country, but still, the fact that they were going to give Japan its identity back was a major victory that, in all honesty, none of them ever expected to win.

He could tell that Katase had the same idea on his mind by the shocked look on his face, "Tohdoh, you just saw that too, right? I'm not going senile, am I?"

Tohdoh shook his head, "No, I can't believe it either, but it's actually happening. They've given us at least part of Japan back."

However, just as a round of applause began to start, the entire room was shaken by a large explosion.

Immediately, Katase jumped into action, barking out orders.

"What's going on? Somebody get me visuals!"

On one of the control screens, a large image of the outside of the Narita mountains came up, immediately dropping everyone's spirits. There was a large mass of Britannian Knightmares scaling the mountains, lead by an all too familiar unit.

"The Glaston Knights are attacking?" Katase exclaimed in surprise.

"That's not all sir! There is an additional Knightmare Frame that is causing havoc on our defenses. IT is an unknown model, but we can safely assume that it is Britannian as well." One solder yelled out.

"Was this their plan? To lull us into a sense of security and then attack?" Tohdoh growled before he ran off with the other Four Holy Swords to try and salvage the situation.

However, they didn't make it very far before a part of the ceiling was suddenly blown open, debris crushing several guards and dust completely blocking Tohdoh's vision. As the dust cleared, a single white Knightmare could be seen in a defensive stance.

"F-fire!" Katase ordered, flustered by the unexpected turn of events.

Hesitantly, several men raised up their rifles, but before they could fire any shots, the cockpit opened up, revealing a brown haired man in a green pilot suit armed with a sniper rifle.

"Now now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. This is an expensive piece of technology, and my superiors wouldn't appreciate damage to it. So just put your guns down, and let me speak for a moment."

Looking around at the frightened men, Katase sighed, "All right, do as he says."

Noticing that the men had lowered their weapons, Neil breathed a sigh of relief. He had been completely bluffing earlier, and it was entirely possible that he could have died.

"All right. Now, which one of you is Kyoshiro Tohdoh?" He said, reading off of a slip of paper.

"What do you want with me?" Tohdoh replied, ready to run if necessary, although he doubted that he would get very far.

"Ah, so I didn't accidentally crush you." Neil joked, although no one was laughing. Noticing the awkwardness of the situation, Neil cleared his throat.

"Erm, right. Anyways, Lieutenant Tohdoh, the recently formed country of Japan has recognized your exploits in battle and would like to extend an invitation to you and your unit to join the reorganized military that will be setting out to combat the Holy Britannian Empire." Neil continued, again reading off of his paper.

"What? Those Britannians think that I'll just abandon my comrades and join them?" Tohdoh snapped in anger.

"Um, I think so, yeah." Neil answered as best as he could, "Look, I know how important this cause is to you, but the truth is, there are about a hundred Knightmare Frames and close to 1,000 soldiers outside of this room, just waiting for the chance to gun all of you down. We've already routed any forces that you tried to send out to stop us, so really, any attempt to escape is essentially suicide. I really think that you should take this offer. If you do, we'll let anyone left here live, and extend to them the same offer to join the Allied military.

It's not easy to give up, I know, but you don't have much of a choice. Your rebellion is dead. The Kyoto House has cut all ties with your organization, instead opting to support the new government of Japan. I don't want to have to shoot down anyone else today, so just take this offer, please."

Tohdoh looked around at the last few surviving members of the JLF. The man was right. Anything other than surrender was certain death at this point.

Would it really be that bad to agree to the offer? After all, technically, he would be serving Japan, not Britannia. And besides, if even the Kyoto House had given in, was there any hope for resistance?

He stared Katase square in the eye, trying to look for help from the older man. Katase stared back with defeated eyes, nodding slowly.

With much reluctance, Tohdoh nodded as well, "Okay, I agree to the offer."

* * *

Joseph looked out of the window in his new office in the Viceroy's palace. At his old job, he had worked in a relatively ordinary room with a few personal effects, but now, it was like he was sitting a palace. With lavish decorations in every corner of the room, he really felt like he was royalty jut by sitting in his desk, which housed the most advanced computer that was available to the government, a far cry from his old beat up laptop.

He had to admit, he had been terrified of this position when it was initially offered to him. But now, after spending some time at his new post, he felt empowered. As if every action he did actually mattered in the long run. In effect, it was true. With just a few words, he could call for the murder of anyone in the country save for royalty, and with another few words, he could probably change the fashion of the country as well.

In fact, right now, he had just finished directing his masterpiece, Schneizel's announcement of Japan becoming a sovereign state. He had made the broadcast portray Schneizel in such a way that most Japanese would consider him a hero, willing to fight for their freedom from the evil Britannian Empire.

According to his spies out on the streets, the public was overjoyed for the most part, with most proclaiming Schneizel as the savior of Japan. Obviously, some Britannian nobles were displeased, but that was to be expected. Besides, they were not at all his target demographic. After all, the general masses were the ones who dictated popular opinion.

His phone began ringing, and immediately, he flipped it open.

"Hello?" He asked.

"This is Cornelia. I'm just letting you know that Tohdoh accepted the offer you drafted. He's surrendered to us and we'll be taking him back to the base to get him ready for his new role."

"All right. Keep up the good work." Joseph replied, snapping his cell phone shut.

The good news just kept flowing in.

With Kyoshiro Tohdoh, or Tohdoh of Miracles on their side, the options were endless. The man was a living legend among the Japanese, and he was planning to use that to his advantage. The man was going to become the icon for Japanese-Britannian partnership. One of the biggest challenges he had foreseen with establishing a base of power in Japan was anti-Britannian backlash. But if he could show that Tohdoh was willing to work with someone like Lelouch, then it would likely promote more harmony between the two ethnic groups.

Racism was never possible to erase, but it was always possible to try and alleviate it, and Joseph was confident that he had come up with the best possible option to do just that.

The war was far from being won, but at least he knew that they were on the right track.

* * *

**I'm not sure that the Navy featured at all in the anime, but I imagine that Britannia still uses airplane carriers and destroyers and the like to maintain naval supremacy, so I'm just going to take some liberties with that in the future chapters, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. **

**Also, I know I've been neglecting Lelouch lately, but trust me, next chapter, the focus will be back squarely on Lelouch. Right now, I'm looking at the chapters as being divided up into roughly three parts. One part Schneizel and Odysseus, dealing with the political issues that are coming with this war. One part focused on Lelouch and her fleet, and one part on the Special Research Division, and the new characters that they are bringing in. Occasionally, I'll throw some focus on Joseph and some of the other characters, but as it stands, it seems like those three parts deserve the bulk of my attention. **

**As usual, feel free to leave any thoughts or ideas in either a PM or a review. I say it all the time, but I really love writing for those readers who are willing to take the time to review. I know that personally, I usually just read a story without reviewing, and I really want to thank anyone who takes the extra effort to leave one. I hope that you guys continue to read and enjoy this story!**


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